Annual conference of the Participation Network on Friday 22 October 2010
The annual conference of the Participation Network will take place on Friday 22 October 2010. The key theme of the conference is ‘Participation from the bottom up'. More and more often, companies, organisations and authorities are faced with movements and initiatives aimed at influencing or modifying the company’s policy or the entire organisation from the bottom up. These initiatives grow among clients, consumers, employees, citizens, etc. In the past, these people would use traditional channels to exert their influence (consumer organisations, unions, consultative bodies, etc.). These days, however, people often form organised groups using (though not exclusively) modern, social media. And they succeed! A prime example, of course, is the ‘Lange Wapper’ case, but there are many more examples out there. At the conference of the Participation Network, we ask ourselves how we can deal with this, from different points of view (policy makers within organisations or authorities, organisers and supporters of participative processes, midfield organisations, etc.).
Wanted: contributions and cases
In the morning, we want to present the attendees of the conference with new insights, cases, inside stories, experiences with and theories about ‘bottom-up participation’, based on several different formats and methodologies. We are looking for people willing to share their stories and we are counting on you. If you would like to participate, send an e-mail including your full name, contact details and a brief description of your case, story or ideas to info@netwerkparticipatie.be. If you don’t have a personal case or story to share but you would still like to contribute to the organisational aspect of the conference, then please send an e-mail to info@netwerkparticipatie.be.
Remember to book the date of our conference in your agenda: Friday 22 October 2010. In a few weeks, you will receive a personalised invitation including the full programme guide and the exact location.