TOGETHER INTERNATIONAL – Kick-Off Meeting Report

09.28.2015 - 09.29.2015

List of participants:

Schedule:

Session 1: The CO-ACTE project and its objectives Session 2: Project methodology Session 3: Methodology of Phase 1 Session 4: Sharing of responsibilities Session 5: Preparation of the Third Meeting of the Territories of Co-responsibility Session 6: Task planning

I. Presentation

The CO-ACTE project aims to launch an extensive process of reflection together with the citizens and local stakeholders in the territories involved in these approaches, so as to find relevant answers to these issues based on local experience and bring them to the global level, into discussions about Europe and the society of the future. Not only the individuals must act, but the regions, the national governments and the European Union should redefine the framework of a society which is not based on the GDP level. The issue is the scope of the message, which cannot reach the institutions. Local actors are less visible than big companies and often too far from the institutions to be heard by the latter. In the light of this situation, we must bring together actors working in this wellness approach to get more weight, but how?

Eight meetings have therefore been planned, to achieve developing public policy proposals for the welfare of all and co-responsibility. These are co-financed by the EU. Today is the second meeting, taking place here in Odemira (Portugal), and the third one will be held in Bordeaux (France) in February. Then, the following meetings will be organized by thematic networks and this will lead to a conclusion in November 2016, in Braine l'Alleud (Belgium).

This meeting in Odemira is essential to define our goals together, with representatives of Agenda 21 territories, the Transition Movement, and also with researchers and politicians.

One question to keep in mind for the rest of the project: what would make the mobilization of Braine l'Alleud a successful meeting?

• The mobilization of policy makers
• The presence of the media
• The implementation of proposals and concrete objectives for the renewal of the MDGs
• Set up a “research-action” approach

II. Project Methodology

The resource-kit has been prepared following the discussion among participants. It shows: - The methodology of the first phase With the Spiral method, several questions were asked: 1. What does well-being mean to you? 2. What does ill-being mean to you? 3. What do you already do or would like to do for your well-being and the well-being of all? 4. If you were a decision-maker, what would be the first measure you would take to achieve coresponsibility for the well-being of all? Co-Act Project will collect these answers, use it as tools in order to build public policies proposals. - The methodology of the second phase, for territories already involved in SPIRAL platforms or similar; there, the questions might be: 1. What did you achieve in the coresponsibility for the well-being of all today and tomorrow in your territory and what were the success factors? 2. What important element was not possible to achieve and and would be important to get, and what are the obstacles, needs to get there? 3. If you had the power to influence political decisions, what would be the first measure you take to achieve the co-responsibility between all actors, so as to ensure the well-being of all and respecting the future generations? (This is the central issue of CO-ACT) 4. In your territory / group, what would be your first action? This idea is to realize this questioning with the most citizens groups we can, until February 2016, in order to get a detailed analysis of the situation.

1. Presentation of the website and the section about Co-Act project. Co-Act resource guide summary and questions for the participants In the case where there is no Spiral facilitator, there are two choices, according to the Spiral approach:

• Collective approach (platform)
• Individual actor (ex. association)

Concerning the thematic networks meetings, 25-50 people will participate. Between 4 to 6 countries should be represented and local people able to provide an expertise and an experience on the subject should be invited. It is also important to think about the dynamics of the meeting and its following: these meetings should be considered as a way to start a real network dynamic, not just to build public policies proposals. These are goals to achieve:

• Complement public policy
• Boost thematic networks, creating links between people (people-slow work on the subject at the territorial, national and European)

2. Presentation of the Co-Act resource-kit

III. Sharing responsibilities

About the Council of Alliances:

Members of the Concil of Alliances debated around the question its own role and its goals. Its role would be to product a certain type of knowledge with a scientific value and a practical aspect. It was agreed that a founding text will be written together to define the roles, missions and objectives. The Council of Alliances could also conceive an analysis grid for case studies.

About the territories:

In February 2016, the answers would be processed and an analysis grid would be created. The idea is to create a grid for coresponsibility criteria as universal as the one for weel-being criteria. Everyone has identified the type of methodology they would use between the two question sets tested.

They should stay on a shape similar to Spiral’s one: everyone can express their opinions (post-it) and the answers are treated with Spiral’s method (individual or potatoes and name for each potato, then entry of the data in the wiki). It will allow an easier pre-coding of the materials for the Council of Alliances. Facilitators can help for coding on the wiki.

About the thematic networks:

During the project, thematic networks will be divided into pairs and each pair will organize a meeting, from April to September 2016. Between 25 to 50 people would be present at each meeting. It would be interesting to invite different people from TOGETHER network but also local people, from the place of the host structure, who have experiences on the subject to share. The participation and involvement of technical experts will also be possible. There should be an upstream work about the notion and meaning of coresponsibility, for everyone to understand it the same way. Although these meetings are financed with CO-ACT EU subsidies, we try to limit the spending as much as we can, in order to achieve a margin.

Here are the meetings ‘objectives:

• There is a need to construct a network (energize the network), and to rethink the way it works. Upstream, we can only work through digital tools because of the distance.
• Discussions must focus on this main question: concerning decision makers and their policies, how do we position ourselves?
• Meetings ‘languages must be: French, English, local language.

Maybe it would be interesting to realize a global communication in all networks to indicate that there are ten themes of reflection and to ask them on which theme they might collaborate, share experiences, etc. A meeting is possible for thematic networks heads in Bordeaux. As it was said, there is the idea of making these meetings a local movement. So for Bordeaux’ meeting, it would be interesting to think about how to give a local impulse to the event. A regular monitoring of the project progress until Bordeaux is needed. Creating a retro-planning, putting it on the website and then use it to edit reminders and follow-mails would be useful.