
WP3: Co-designing Inclusive Participation

OUR PLANNED PILOTS
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.
UK
University of Birmingham
POLICY FOCUS
Equitable access to work experience and youth employment - agreed with the West Midlands Young Combined authority (YCA)
PARTNERS / STAKEHOLDERS
West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA); YCA; Youth Focus West Midlands; Birmingham City Council; legislative theatre practitioner and award winner Katy Rubin; Legislative theatre facilitators Sam Dixon and Lee Grant
PARTICIPANTS/ CO-DESIGNERS
A diverse group of 15 young people from across the West Midlands (14-17 years old) recruited through local youth groups, community organisations and schools
METHODS
Legislative Theatre; participatory research
Portugal
University of Lisbon
POLICY FOCUS
Social wellbeing
PARTNERS / STAKEHOLDERS
Lisbon City Council; dance theatre; NGOs; Legislative theatre practitioner
PARTICIPANTS/ CO-DESIGNERS
People with disabilities
METHODS
Legislative Theatre; dance
Czech Republic
Czech Academy of Sciences
POLICY FOCUS
Integrated policies for inclusion, resource efficiency, climate/ disaster mitigation and adaptation
PARTNERS / STAKEHOLDERS
City of České Budějovice and the surrounding region; City of Broumov and the surrounding region (both finalists for the Candidacy for European Capital of Culture 2028); national level institutions (Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Education); public organisation Creative Prague
PARTICIPANTS/ CO-DESIGNERS
Diverse groups (including refugees) selected from the local community through grassroots intermediaries
METHODS
Participatory performance lectures
Hungary
Tarsadalomtudomanyi Kutatokozpont, Budapest
POLICY FOCUS
Adequate shelter for all
PARTNERS / STAKEHOLDERS
8th/ 9th district of Budapest; NGOs (K-Monitor, Transparency International; School of Public Life)
PARTICIPANTS/ CO-DESIGNERS
Participants in projects on public housing and public toilets as part of the Participatory Budgeting process in Budapest
METHODS
Photovoice method to capture participants’ needs and inform deliberation on project development and implementation
Ireland
University of Cork and CiviQ
POLICY FOCUS
Integrated and sustainable communities
PARTNERS / STAKEHOLDERS
Kildare County Council; Open Local Government Partnership; Community Green Forums participatory spaces
PARTICIPANTS/ CO-DESIGNERS
Ethnic minority women’s networks
METHODS
Community participatory food-based events combined with visual arts
Poland
University of Warsaw
POLICY FOCUS
Economic independence
PARTNERS / STAKEHOLDERS
Representatives of two local governments and national government; representatives of national and local NGOs supporting refugees
PARTICIPANTS/ CO-DESIGNERS
Refugees from Ukraine in Poland living in Warsaw (the largest Ukrainian community) and a borderland city/ town
METHODS
Co-designed workshops to develop a play-like and game-like framework for interactions to agree procedures for integration into the host communities
Bulgaria
ArcFund, Sofia
POLICY FOCUS
Developing new (digital) skills
PARTNERS / STAKEHOLDERS
State actors: Sofia Municipal Council, municipal organisations; Ministry of Labour and Social Policy; National Employment Agency; Labour district offices located in each municipality/city (SDA; Ministry of Education and Science)
PARTICIPANTS/ CO-DESIGNERS
Women over 55 years of age (low-skilled, long term unemployed)
METHODS
Living labs methods/ Action research
