Being a councilor is, in many ways, like having children. It requires great sacrifice, and no one prepares you for it. If you are in charge of citizen participation, you also have to deal with the lack of understanding from colleagues and opposition members. Over the past seven years, we have been dedicated to improving the functioning of citizen participation departments in local and regional governments across six countries. While we continue to learn from each project, we have also identified common mistakes that occur regardless of the country or the size of the municipality. In this document, we have compiled some of these recurring mistakes and the strategies we have implemented to address them.
This document does not aim to be a scientific study - although we would have loved to have the resources for a more in-depth investigation. Instead, it can be read as a rescue manual or a logbook, as it is a living document that we update with each new experience. We hope you find it useful and take away at least one or two valuable insights. Download the manual by clicking the button below.
