Interculturalism: a challenge for community and citizens participation.

1. Interculturalism: a challenge for community and citizens participation.

2. Aims: • Summarize the social and political context in Catalonia region related with CD and Citizens participation. • Share methodological proposal about community development running actually in Roquetes walks towards to an intercultural community project.

3. who we are • and what we do? • Cooperative society: Strategies of Sustainable Communitarian Transformations (9 members). • Teamwork members - Postgraduate studies of citizens participation and sustainable development (Autonomous University of Barcelona - UAB). • Teamwork members of the master studies of Social and Community policies (UAB) • Work fields… • Community development processes. • Citizens participation methodologies in social - public policies at local level (municipalities - neighborhoods

4. Concepts (our operational definitions):

5. concepts:

6. Political and administrative context • (since 90’s) • Social departments from regional government assign funds for community development programs. • Progressive increasing in middle and big municipalities of citizens participation departments and citizens participation programs. • Parties incorporate citizens participation in their elections programs. • The UAB began the studies of Participation and sustainable development. • In 2003, Citizens Participation Department in regional level (unique in Spain).

7. Local authoritiesapproach:

8. Civil Society approach:

9. Facing this situation: (subirats,j. 2002) • Authoritarian solution • Mercantilization solution • Radicalize the democracy

10. Why Radicalize Democracy? • Public policies are unable to answer citizenship’s problems • Politics is perceived far from the citizens. • Dicrease of participation in the elections. • Individualism and loss of interest for the public and collective things.

11. Why Radicalize Democracy? • Culture of the delegation of responsibilities, just voting every four years. • The politicians control which are the main problems (politics agenda us. Citizens agenda). • The power to decide stays in hands of few people. • Political parties less and less democratic by themselves, less debate and more marketing.

12. one experience: • Community development process in Roquetes neighborhood (BCN City).

13. roquetes 15.000 inhabitants

14. Inhabitants of the territory are the main actors of its’ transformation, they joint responsibility in the process (community analysis, building proposals, managing the process…) Build citizenship Inhabitants’ participation aims at real transformations: change public education, change urbanism situation, health systems… of the territory. Change needs into opportunities for the community’s development. To transform • wills of the community development process:

15. Sustainable transformation of the territory will only be possible if the citizens living in it and the local actors operating on it (social, public and economic stakeholders) are re-educated in a new culture of common interests, in order to create a cooperation climate; without abandoning each one’s autonomy: a climate that enables to manage the conflict to build agreements. Educational Process A will of opening relationships, not to build against anyone but to build with, with the inhabitants, with the public administrations, and its public services, and with other local actors (economical stakeholders, university…). With a will to create relationships • wills of the community development process:

16. what? Community Development process A tool, an instrument…a methodology for social intervention that helps us to follow the: ? aim Improving life quality through community and sustainable development of a territory, making real transformations that join responsibility of all the actors living and acting in it.

17. Citizens Public Administrations Other actors • who? Entidades Residents Associations Informal Groups People  Professional team that works in and for the developing of the process, the citizens decide over this team. Community team Economical Universities Fundations, … Regional and Local Government and its public services Schools, high schools Social Services Health Services, Mental Health services, Employment servicies, Police…

18. Citizenship Public administrations and its public services Other Community actors • starting point? The neighbour, the doctor of the health center, the politician, the director of the high school, … build a photography about: Participative Diagnostic of the Community issues, needs opportunities, potentials Proposals for the transformation Consens Community Programme

19. how does it continues?

20. how is it organise? Public Administrations (Regional y Local) + Neighbourhood community leathership Neighbourhood Contract* Political Level *Every year renewal. Public Services + Community team (process team contracted by the citizens) Technical Comite Technical Level Work groups (urbanism, education, health… Community Group (neighbourhood assemble) Citizens level

21. Learnings… • A participar se aprende participando • Innovación democrática • Juntos pero no revueltos • Ritmos, Lenguajes, soportes, horarios y técnicas adaptadas a la diversidad • Centralidad política de la participación • Consenso político