More than a methodology strictly speaking, SPIRAL proposes a methodological framework allowing echanges and capitalization about methods. That's why its content is neither uniform nor set in stone. It is the result of a process of networked co-construction with different stakeholders working to promote co-responsibility for the well-being of all in their own respective areas and in their institutions (companies, schools, hospitals, administrative authorities, public services, etc.) at local or wider (regional, national, etc.) level. It is therefore diversified, open and vibrant, developing in line with the results of the experiments that have been carried out since 2005 in various settings and contexts.
How does it develop?
A number of principles serve as guidelines for the construction of this framework. They help identify the most promising ideas and practices which could be adopted and included in the methodology and relayed to others, thereby making it possible to bring about gradual improvement. As such, new experiments are invariably a source of enrichment, revealing approaches which no-one had previously thought of. The SPIRAL methodological framework should therefore be seen as a source of inspiration where each interested stakeholder could either adopt the suggested process as a whole, or choose what they find the most interesting and, in both cases, report back on the adaptations they have trialled so that others, faced with the same needs, could in turn draw on this experience.
This means of course that SPIRAL is not a perfect methodological framework nor can it be seen as a recipe that can be automatically applied. There are inevitable difficulties, since bringing about co-responsibility is no easy matter. Accordingly, the objective of SPIRAL is to make it possible, thanks to contributions from everyone, to overcome these difficulties step by step, as we have been doing for seven years, so that little by little this process of developing co-responsibility for the well-being of all becomes a more natural pathway followed in our societies and is recognised as a key component of our common future. This is the hope for SPIRAL, the result of a participatory process in which stakeholders from almost 20 countries are today taking part.
How to find what interests you
The propose methodological framework has eight phases, constituting a cycle which repeats itself a number of times. At local level (geographical areas or collective bodies) there are three successive cycles which, in each iteration enlarge the number of stakeholders involved, just like a spiral. This framework gives to every local group the possibility to identify its own situation and what is interesting for it according with its context and history. Therefore it is a tool for sharing and exchanging à portée indicative et non prescriptive.
These three cycles are represented in a schematic representation which differs slightly depending on whether the approach is adopted in a geographical area or a collective body. The diagram you choose will help you understand the overall thinking behind the process by outlining each of its different phases in turn. You can then choose the one(s) you are interested in simply by clicking on the number given in the corresponding box. Enjoy your browsing and please send us your feedback!
NB:
Not all the links in the different boxes are active yet. In particular, those concerning collective bodies still have to be completed. The methodology at regional and national level is also currently being developed and will be made available upon completion.
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