Participation criteria Type of participants; effective inclusion; learning; understanding;
information management; time for discussion; types of agreements;
Conflict resolution; decision criteria; transparency; degree of participation; responsibility; norms; sustainability; control; funding;
logistics.
Components to evaluate
participation Inclusiveness; education; information; discussion; decision;
institutional development; link with policy and political action
Participation dimension Participant selection methods; modes of communication and decisions;
authority and power
Description and objectives
PSP is a planning and management tool which aims to guide the endeavours of a community towards a desired future. Based on the principles of population participation
Case study 3.11 contd
Development of the process
PAR was carried out for a period of nine months, to allow for sufficient time to develop bonds of trust and participation with the Gypsy/Traveller community, and also to involve Traveller communities with a seasonal (not permanent) presence in the territory. Together with community leaders, a series of workshops and events were held over several months, with a view to establishing the main health care needs of the Gypsy/Traveller community. The data generated led to a report for the NHS, and were also converted into information for use by the community itself and the social health care services.
Results and evaluation of the experience
The main key factors to improve their health identified by the Gypsy/Traveller population were:
environmental factors related to basic sewerage services; protection against discrimination and prejudices in health care; the need for access to information about nutritional guidelines; and the need for information and help in preventing drug addiction.
This experience highlighted the importance of putting action at the heart of the process. The research findings were used to advise the NHS on its design of programmes, as well as the Community Health Exchange, local services and community organizations. The research conducted also highlighted the need to involve the Gypsy/Traveller community, which played a fundamental role in guiding the methodology and drawing up recommendations.
Reference
1. National Resource Centre for Ethnic Minority Health. Voices from the north. Exploratory needs assessment of gypsy/traveller communities in the north of Scotland. Edinburgh:
Health Scotland; 2007 (http://www.healthscotland.com/uploads/documents/7855-VoicesFromTheNorth.pdf, accessed 5 December 2014).
Further examples of similar techniques or methods
Horton MM. The health and site needs of the transient gypsies and travellers of Leeds [website]. Leeds: Gypsy Roma Traveller Leeds; 2004 (http://www.grtleeds.co.uk/Health/
transientStudy.html, accessed 5 December 2014).
Improving engagement with the Roma community. Research report. London: Roma Support Group; 2009 (http://www.romasupportgroup.org.uk/documents/Roma%20Support%20 Group%20Research%20Report.pdf, accessed 5 December 2014).
PARTICIPATORY METHODS AND TECHNIQUES
and consensus among stakeholders, viable community development projects are programmed in detail. Its principles are, therefore: participation as a method of
organization and collective learning; monitoring of changes; the collective evaluation of achievements; seeking to create large spaces for synergies; and social articulation.
PSP is also integral in nature, as (at least in theory) it aims to encompass the multiple dimensions of the social, cultural, political, economic and ecological reality surrounding a problem.
Method
The participatory planning process essentially depends on the specific characteristics of the social context in which it is promoted and the issues tackled. However, a core methodological schema can be outlined.
All planning starts with a vision of how a community wants its future to be. The first step in PSP is to establish the community vision; in other words, the mental picture the population envisages for its future in the mid to long term. This vision, which constitutes the driving idea, will act as a backdrop to the entire process. It must be shared with as broad a cross-section of stakeholders as possible, so it is a good idea to implement some of the participatory techniques previously outlined in this toolkit, such as the future or scenario workshops. With the vision established, which in itself is usually general and relatively abstract, it must then be turned into a mission, which will be much more specific. The mission is the general objective pursued in the medium term (normally no longer than five years), and it must be achieved through the completion of strategic actions over the course of the planning process, allowing for the expected result to emerge.
The next stage involves establishing the current strategic positioning in the community situation. With the assistance of diagnostic tools, the present problem must be correctly described, and the stakeholders and social forces involved must be identified, along with the resources available and the existing or possible organizational models.
Having established guidelines to understand the present and glimpse the desired future, the next stage is to activate all actions pertaining to the strategic planning. This involves drawing up an action plan. First, this involves structuring the community mission into dimensions or specific objectives, and the participants and social agents must design actions to achieve each of these. Similarly, there must be a collective negotiation of the timeline (which links actions with time frames), and a feasibility analysis of each action (administrative, economic, organizational, and so on). A secondary objective of this negotiation or consensus agreement is to find synergies between the participants and the driving agents of the plan, to make the most of the resources present in the community and within institutions, with a view to achieving the objectives set.
Once the plan is in motion, the monitoring process begins. Actions must be monitored in a participatory way in order to verify achievements effectively and to allow for mutual account-giving between the stakeholders involved. Furthermore, the aim of this monitoring is also to spark debate around the possible introduction of adjustments or
modifications to the plan on the basis of social or other change that might occur over time.
At the end of the process – but also running simultaneously to its implementation – participatory evaluation is carried out. Both the purpose and the execution of this evaluation should be participatory; in other words, the lessons learned should be useful not only for planning agents but also for the population involved in its operation as a community. Fig. 3.12 presents the methodology for PSP, and Case study 3.12 describes the use of PSP to empower minority communities in Albania.
Fig. 3.12 Methodological diagram for PSP
Further reading on the tool method
Bath P. Participatory strategic planning. A how-to guide for nonprofits. Aligning visions.
Truckee (CA): Aligning Visions LLC; 2013 (http://www.aligningvisions.com/19.html, accessed 5 December 2014).
Collective establishment of planning vision and mission
Establishment of strategic positioning
Programming and development of strategic actions
Monitoring and evaluation of results and processes
Case study 3.12 Albania. Empowering the vulnerable minority communities of Albania
Background
This project – launched in 2008 – is part of the UNDP. It emerged essentially from the deficient living conditions detected among ethnic minorities living in Albania, particularly the Roma and Egyptian populations. In this context, the programme known as “Empowering Vulnerable Local Communities of Albania” was launched, which focused on the local level, supporting Roma and Egyptian communities, as well as the central level, supporting the Ministry of Labour Social Affairs and equal opportunities in implementing and monitoring the National Roma Strategy (1).
Objectives
The main objectives of this programme were to:
» increase and strengthen confidence, capacity and dignity;
» reduce the social exclusion of vulnerable ethnic minorities in Albania, especially the Roma and Egyptian populations.
Development of the process
The project coordinated the activities of agencies working with vulnerable minorities and provided direct assistance to the poorest and most marginalized Roma communities at the local level (villages and quarters) in three regions of Albania: Tirana, Elbasan and Fier. The project activities directly assisted the communities by promoting participatory planning. Participatory development planning approaches supported the participation of vulnerable communities in local decision-making through the identification of priorities, the preparation of community development plans and the implementation of community development projects in partnership with local governments.
PARTICIPATORY METHODS AND TECHNIQUES