Most of the times people are allowed to think along or to give advice. but those taking decisions and having control are still in charge. During communityprocessing people involved are making those decisions together.
"A real paradigm shift in how decisions are made."
- participant
Refugee debate
In situations of conflict between groups and people, Communityprocessing leads to a supported plan owned by all those involved.
Communityprocessing can be used in escalating situations or situations that are likely to escalate. Diverging interests of those involved may lead to a potentially explosive situation.Various groups are involved: stakeholders, regions, districts, villages, etc.
Communityprocessing may be of value for situations in which groups naturally disagree and quarrel with each other. It involves situations in which people concerned have been injured or feel affected by what has happened or by what will happen.
Political anthropologist Nanke Verloo points out that in local protests against refugee centers we are dealing with 'citizens who are organising themselves and making themselves heard in a way they think is expected of them in our modern society of participation. But their story is one we don't want to hear. If we really want to value dialogue in our society, people that have uneasy and unrecognised stories to tell need to be granted a seat as well. This however cannot be done by organising an event in which citizens basically have no options except to listen to what local government, in all its wisdom, has already decided. Acknowledgement of emotions, reflecting on things and finding their origins, are necessary ingredients if we want conflicts to offer opportunities.' Source: kis.nl
Communityprocessing facilitates dialogue and joint decision making. When all voices are heard, a solid plan can be made and supported by all those involved.
Starting points
Contact our team
+316 155 96 907 (Gert Jan Slump)
+316 288 40 251 (Anke Siegers)