Led by the University of Birmingham, this is a hands-on work package where we co-design participatory spaces with different groups experiencing intersectional oppressions and historically marginalised in society. This mean we are not just inviting our participants to a participatory process designed by us but rather we are shaping these spaces with them as participants, co-designers and co-evaluators.

We are testing a range of arts-based approaches across seven pilots to see if and how they can help us strengthen inclusion and agency in participatory democracy. But we’re not going to do this in a vacuum. We are working closely with local stakeholders and community groups, building on the work they already do and linking our project to live policy agendas. The aim is for these processes to help generate culture change towards more inclusive and participatory policymaking that puts the experience of marginalised groups at the centre.

As part of this work package partners from King’s College and Lancaster University are leading on a scoping review of arts-based methods for social change. The findings will inform the pilot co-designing principles to strengthen intersectional inclusion.

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Our planned pilots: