The multiplier meeting of the BEEP project took place in presence, at the ARCI premises in Caserta on 23 November from 10.00 to 12.00 and online, on the zoom platform, on 24 November from 9.30 to 11.00.
The first meeting was attended by 40 high school students, students identified by SAAD (University Service for the Activities of Students with Disabilities and DSAs) of Suor Orsola Benincasa, students of general sociology courses at Suor Orsola Benincasa University and citizens representing a Civic Committee set up a few years ago; the second meeting involved 97 representatives of the third sector and Suor Orsola Benincasa students from different disciplines and subjects.
In both meetings, the same activities/stimuli were proposed, albeit in different ways given the different settings:
- icebreaker game (sort by)
- presentation of the BEEP project having a closer look at the Guidelines and out of that discussed the points recommended in the Guidelines and created ideas for a draft of the policy recommendations in a participatory manner.
1st activation: Associate your idea/experience of active citizenship with the card(DIXIT)
2nd activation: What are the skills needed by the community to carry out active citizenship actions and to motivate them?
- These are the skills most frequently reported: Listening Skills, Communication Skills, Sense of Responsibility, Problem Solving, Creativity, Organisational Leadership, Conflict Management, Cooperation and Collaboration, Suspension of Judgement
3rd activation: With which local stakeholders do you collaborate to foster active participation?
Outcomes are:
- Cultural associations, associations involved in social integration, environmental associations.
- Institutions: University, municipality, region Trade unions. Support for economic sustainability and human resources engaged in activities.
- Individuals and Specific Professionals: artists (workshops and communication) Performing arts, communication and creative skills development. Teachers and sports instructors.
4th activation: What are the factors favouring and the factors hindering active participation by citizenship?
- Factors that favour: Good inclusive and joyful practices, Touching change with one’s own hands, Hope, Feeling indispensable even in the smallest thing, Beauty and attention to detail
- Factors that hinder: Laziness, Boredom, Selfishness, The claim of others of our actions, The lack of recognition of achievements even and especially of the smallest, Disorganisation and carelessness
5th activation: What would you like to replicate from your experience of active participation in another context?
Outcomes are:
- Getting involved and taking risks
- Free experimentation
- Sense of collectivity and community
- Desire for Participation
- Lightness and Absence of Prejudice
- Meeting of different Generations (coexistence)
6th activation: How people/citizens perceive political participation?
- Politics is perceived as a possibility for participation but with many obstacles due to: lack of time, lack of skills, impact of the ‘community’ on party politics. Both at local and national level.
- How people interact with politics? Interaction is little, often mediated by a lot of bureaucracy, slow and tiring.
- Recommendations from citizens to policymakers and educational organisations: Make decisions based on citizens’ demands, favour bottom-up processes of participation and active listening to citizens.