Whose Democracy? Our Democracy? An international learning journey
🏫 Overview
Whose Democracy? Our Democracy? is a three-month international learning journey exploring how we can collectively reimagine local democracy.
Join this Huddle if you believe there is no lack of imagination in communities about desired and possible futures but sometimes a lack of imagination in finding ways to support democracy at local levels. Collectively, can we imagine a democracy that is participatory and leads to action to make imagined futures a reality? This Huddle will explore examples, ideas and ways to take action.
We want to create a truly international Huddle. We encourage applications from around the world for all those passionate about building communities where everyone’s voice is heard and valued.
🔑 Key information
Start date: Week beginning 18th September. Exact day and time to be confirmed with the group once we’ve selected members to ensure we can accommodate those in different time zones.
Duration: 3 months - September to December 2023
Time commitment: 1.5 hours every fortnight
Application deadline: Sunday 20th August
Location: Online
How to apply: Submit your application form by 20th August.
Is it for me?
This is for all those concerned about local democracy and finding more imaginative ways to engage communities:
- Local, national, and international policymakers with a remit to develop local decision-making around community engagement
- Residents and community activists who want to harness the power of imagination or have imagination practices to share
- Activists and artists working with imagination practice around democracy
💪🏾 Why should I join?
Do it:
- If you’re passionate about local democracy and want to take brave steps to reimagine what is possible.
- If you have examples of imagination practice around local democracy and ideas to share.
- If you’re passionate about your community and want to try out new ideas to be more imaginative about democracy.
🥾 The Journey in detail
The Huddle will run for three months, with fortnightly meetings taking place from September to December 2023.
As this is an international Huddle, we will arrange the online meetings around the most suitable time for the group.
Throughout the Huddle sessions, we want to create a vibrant and inclusive space for members to engage in thoughtful conversations, share diverse perspectives and learn from one another.
We imagine the Huddle will be a mix of sharing, reflecting and experimenting. By fostering an open and collaborative environment, we hope to collectively inspire new ideas and envision innovative approaches to local democracy.
This is a peer-led journey so Huddle members will co-create the experience and actively contribute, including designing and hosting their own sessions.
Your hosts
Whose Democracy? Our Democracy? will be co-hosted by Karen Lawson and Keisha Swaby, from the Centre for Public Impact.
Karen has a long history of hosting imaginative events and festivals that push boundaries in thinking about the role of government and public services in engaging citizens and communities. She is co-founder of the Fire Starter Festival, which shared innovation and imagination practices across communities in Scotland, and the Creative Bravery Festival. During the first lockdown, this online international festival worked with public services, the arts and creative industries, and communities to shift the axis of thinking and practice in education.
“Imagination involves creating a new story, a new narrative, a new way of doing things. This takes courage and bravery as humans tend to lean into known constructs and behaviours. Karen imagines what we can’t see by modelling it through how she engages with people and the systems we inhabit.”
Paul Gorman, Empowered Children and Young People team, Scottish Government.
Keisha is deeply passionate about harnessing the power of research, design and innovation to co-create equitable, liberatory and abundant alternative futures.
Most recently, Keisha has worked with the University of Nottingham Rights Lab to creatively consider how support for survivors of modern slavery and exploitation could be reimagined.
Before joining CPI, Keisha worked in the transforming education space, leading a national project to empower young people and the public to set a new direction for education and learning in England. She also led a pioneering and award-winning programme of work co-designing mental health services with and for Black communities.
❓Q&A
Do I need to be a policymaker or work in local government to participate?
No, we welcome those working in and around government to apply, but this Huddle is open to anyone passionate about local democracy, regardless of occupation!
What kind of time commitment will this involve?
To fully participate in the Huddle, we ask that you commit to the 1.5-hour fortnightly sessions from September to December, which we’ll work to organise at a mutually convenient time for huddle members.
How will you approach diversity, inclusion and accessibility?
We recognise the importance of diverse voices when it comes to reimagining democracy and want to create a space where everyone’s voice is heard and valued.
As such, we want to welcome and support anyone with a strong intention to participate in this Huddle, and aim to ensure that your identity or background will not be a barrier.
We aim to make this space as inclusive and diverse as we can, including finding a time for huddle sessions that suit as many members as possible.
The Huddle format we’re using centres peer-to-peer learning, which can be a really inclusive approach to education. The non-hierarchical relationships can create an environment that welcomes us to bring more of ourselves into the learning process, and you will likely be brought together with people with different perspectives, ideas, experiences and more.
On application we invite you to tell us about your access needs and preferences and we will also invite the group to share what they’d like to with one another, so that the group can co-create an inclusive space.
What if I have more questions?
If you have more questions please get in touch with us directly:
✍🏽 Ready to apply?
If you’d like to join us, please complete the application form by the 20th August.
