In cities worldwide, tools for citizen-centric local initiativesto facilitate collaboration and joint decision-making aredeployed as alternatives to the use of large corporatesocial media platforms such as Facebook. These communityplatforms often aim to empower users and enable civicparticipation in local (neighbourhood) developments, butnot without encountering their own issues. Some of theseplatforms struggle to find the best ways to feature hyper-local issues on their online platforms, such as loneliness ofthe elderly or the infrastructure of the local landscape. Othersmight succeed in developing an easy-to-use platform, butlack a solid, motivated and consistent user base that supportsthe community initiative.In this cahier, we explore how we can use digital, visualand participatory research methods to strengthen civicorganisations through improving their tools for citizenempowerment. Throughout the text, we will address boththe process (the methods for mapping and the workshopsfor participatory mapping), and the substance of theresearch (i.e., the outcomes of the mappings and the resultsof the annotation workshops with the civic organisations).Additionally, we will show and discuss student projects thatmade use of our research, as input for their design processes.
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The purpose of this literature study was to obtain an overview of previous civic literacy projects and their characteristics as primarily described in educational science literature. Eighteen academic articles on civic literacy projects in higher education were studied in detail and coded using the qualitative data analysis instrument, Atlas.ti. The codes and quotations compiled were then divided in various categories and represented in a two-axis model. The definitions of ‘civic literacy’ found in the literature varied from an interest in social issues and a critical attitude to a more activist attitude (axis number 1). The analysis of the literature showed that, especially in more recent years, more students than citizens have benefited from civic literacy projects in higher education (axis number 2). The visualization of the findings in the two-axis model helps to place civic literacy projects in a broader frame. The final authenticated version is available online at https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-13472-3_9
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In the context of the participation society, roles and expectations of citizens and municipalities are vastly changing. While designers and design researchers explore the potentials of apps to empower citizens, municipalities are interested in data dashboards—accompanied by applications and community platforms—to increase civic participation in public (space) issues. In this paper, relevant criteria and design decisions are discussed through reflecting on the lessons learned from two civic apps that were designed by the authors and analysing prominent existing civic apps that have citizen empowerment as their objective.
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To what extent can the application of blockchain technologies be employed toward civic empowerment, organizing local civic and circular economies, reinstating trust in civic institutions, or, perhaps, creating entirely new types of institutions?
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This chapter offers a working definition of social accountability as any citizen-led action beyond elections that aims to enhance the accountability of state actors. We view social accountability as a broad array of predominantly bottom-up initiatives, aimed at improving the quality of governance (especially oversight and responsiveness) through active citizen participation. We also trace the evolution of SA as a concept in the literature over the past decades and, then, discuss some influential theoretic approaches to SAIs, pointing out strengths and weaknesses of each model. Finally, we suggest organising Arab SAIs into one of three categories: (1) transparency; (2) advocacy; or (3) participatory governance and we review each of these existing action formats by discussing their main strengths and flaws.
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Playfulness intertwined with city-related themes, such as participatory planning and civic media are becoming more popular. In the last ten years, game designers have taken up the theme of play in relation to the urban environment. In this paper, we present a conceptual mapping of “urban play,” through the analysis of eight examples of urban games. Better conceptual tools are necessary to discuss and reflect on how games draw on, or deal with, urban issues. While urban games are diverse in medium, intent, and experience, across the spectrum analyzed in this paper, they hold the potential for various player experiences emerging through play that may be useful to designers. These are: a sense of agency and impact; feelings of relatedness and empathy; an awareness and understanding of complexity, perspective-taking and scenario-building, and either planning or taking action. The conceptual mapping offers scholars and practitioners a more nuanced vocabulary for designing games and playful interventions that might be used to tackle societal issues that either require or could benefit from genuine public involvement as engaged citizens.
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Rede van Lector Lilian Linders, Lectoraat Empowerment en Professionalisering Het is niet bepaald voor het eerst in de geschiedenis van sociaal georiënteerde opleidingen dat het gedachtegoed van empowerment op de agenda staat. Toen ik ongeveer 40 jaar geleden begon als student aan de ‘Sociale Academie’ kregen wij al les over empowerment en eigen kracht, over Paulo Freire, Ivan Illich en Hans Achterhuis. We werden waarschuwend toegesproken over dat het doel van deze opleiding was te leren hoe we onszelf zo snel mogelijk overbodig konden maken. En dat instituties het grote kwaad van de samenleving zijn, die zo snel mogelijk omver geworpen moesten worden. Vervolgens ging ik stage lopen in een grootschalige psychiatrische inrichting. Daar was het snel gedaan met het realiseren van wat toen ook mijn idealen waren. Het was slikken of stikken: conformeren of een onvoldoende halen voor mijn stage. Ik pruttelde nog wat na, haalde bakzeil en een jaar later mijn diploma. Vervolgens ben ik door gaan studeren, want ik moest er niet aan denken dat ik zou moeten werken in deze sector. Maar wat mij nooit heeft losgelaten is dat ik in mijn stagejaar geen enkele cliënt zag verbeteren. En dat de enigen die zogenaamd met ontslag gingen ‘patiënten’ waren die wegliepen en voortijdig de behandeling afbraken. Mijn hart brak voor degenen die achterbleven in deze verstikkende setting. Waar de vaak jonge mensen bij binnenkomst nog erg op mij en mijn vrienden leken, veranderden zij gaandeweg in gedrogeerde zombies. Het enige waar ze heel goed in werden, leek het zich eigen maken van therapeutentaal. Zelf werden we daar trouwens ook meesters in. Want als personeel moesten we ook flink onder het therapeutische mes. We hadden wekelijks verplichte therapie voor stagiaires. Daarnaast hadden we therapie met de collega’s van de open setting van de bovenbouw en de gesloten setting van de onderbouw. Het vaste personeel had ook nog therapie met hun partners erbij. Gewapend met tissues en papieren zakdoekjes togen wij dus frequent naar de therapieruimte. Tijdens deze sessies ging het geen enkel moment over ons werk. We hadden het alleen over onszelf. Het waren rare tijden…
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In this chapter, we first summarise the findings from the country chapters on the multiple meanings of SA, documenting terms, translations and contrasting understandings between citizens and public officials. Second, we highlight how civil mobilisation tends to be cyclical over time and is often mediated by brokers. Strategies to spur stakeholders into action rely on a delicate balance of both collaboration and confrontation. Third, we examine the responses from authorities to SAIs, finding that reactions are uneven and that all civic innovators fear appropriation or co-optation by officials. Fourth, we assess overall outcomes of Arab SAIs and highlight that the transformative potential of SAIs exists especially at municipal level, if four conditions for success are present (trust, proximity, endorsement, evaluation). We also point out that the actual outcomes of SAIs in Arab societies have, so far, been limited due to design deficiencies (emphasising short-term objectives and limited context sensitivity) or because of officials’ resistance in active or passive forms. We characterise SAIs as a discursive action format that is best understood with a relational approach to power. In a final section, we formulate recommendations for activists, officials and donors on how to make SAIs more effective.
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The aim of this study is to determine the contribution of student interventions to urban greening processes. In two Dutch cities action research was conducted, including reflexive interviews a year after the first intervention, to assess factors causing change in the socio-ecological system. Results show that students and network actors were mutually learning, causing the empowerment of actors in that network by adding contextualized knowledge, enlarging the social network, expanding the amount of interactions in the socio-ecological system and speeding up the process. Students brought unique qualities to the process: time, access to stakeholders who tend to distrust the municipality and a certain open-mindedness. Their mere presence made a difference and started a process of change. However, university staff needed to keep the focus on long-term effects and empowerment, because students did not oversee that. After a year, many new green elements had been developed or were in the planning phase. In Enschede, the municipality districtmanagers were part of the learning network, which made it easier to cause changes in the main ecological network. In Haarlem however, no change took place in the main ecological network managed by the municipality, because no political empowerment of the civil society group had developed yet.
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This report maps different programs that supportrefugees on the road to entrepreneurship. The municipality of The Hague, along with the refugee and migrant support organization EnterStart (MigrantINC) asked for an evaluation of the program The Hague Test Garden (from now on called The Test Garden) where refugees can ask for help starting their own businesses. The evaluation is not just based on the experiences in The Test Garden; other programs have been included in the evaluation to come to a broader view of the road to entrepreneurship and the obstacles encountered. The increased inflow of refugees in Dutch society and on the Dutch labor market has generated different support programs for starting-up a business. Some of these programs already existed but shifted to accommodate the needs of this specific target group. Other programs were initiated to support refugees because of perceived barriers in Dutch society. Most programs are private initiatives, funded on a project basis. In the Netherlands, refugees that hold a residence permit are called ‘status holders’. Upon arrival, they received a temporary permit for at least five years. They need to follow a civic integration and language program and they are expected to be part of the (regular) education system or labor market as soon as possible. The Test Garden started in 2016, a time when multiple support systems for refugee-entrepreneurs began their programs. This report starts with a short overview ofrefugee flows to the Netherlands. The main part of the report consists of the comparison and evaluation of the different programs. The information was gathered through literature, websites, and in-depth interviews with program managers and others involved. Interviews with the participants are only included for The Test Garden (Appendix 1 gives an overview of the meetings and interviews). LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karijn-nijhoff-89589316/
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