home
Participatory Card Games
Participatory card games such as Democs (Deliberative meeting of citizens) – developed by the New Economics Foundation – enable small groups of citizens to learn about and debate complex issues. The topics tend to be scientific, political or ethical in nature. The process encourages those involved to express a preferred policy option following their deliberations.
Public Conversations Project Dialogue
Public Conversations Project Dialogue (PCP Dialogue) is appropriate for exploring deeply divisive topics that are not easily resolved through compromise. Such issues are often rooted in deeply personal aspects of identity, values and worldviews, and often undermine the creation of a cooperative and constructive style of interaction within a community.
Planning Cells
Planning Cells – developed by Professor Dr Peter C Dienel of the University of Wuppertal, Germany – bring together a small group of members of the public to develop solutions for a specific planning or policy problem. They tend to be used to develop a way forward for an urgent problem where a number of options are available, and for issues where there is not a large degree of existing polarisation in the attitudes of the affected population.
Local and Global Civic Innovation Tools
Top Tips For Civic Innovation
Build numbers – if you have to!
You don’t have to involve everyone in every issue all the time. But for some issues, building a critical mass and getting as many people engaged as possible is essential.
Include everyone who should be included
Depending on who your group is, or who you want to represent when you are engaging with decision-makers, you will need to consider how you are ensuring that you are really enabling all relevant voices to be heard.
Be clear about who you want to engage with and why
There are many democratic institutions in Northern Ireland (local Councils, local and regional service providers, government departments), and therefore many tiers of decision making.