Opportunities to Engage Citizens & Communities in

Environment, Health & Wellbeing Programmes

November 29th 2017

Deirdre GarveyCEO, The Wheel

HELLO WE ARE…

THE WHEEL

ADDRESSING ENGAGEMENT

CHALLENGES FOR

COMMUNITIES AND CITIZENS

- THE WHEEL EXPERIENCES

The Peoples Conversation (Phase I)

2015 – 2016

With Carnegie (UK) Trust

CONVERSATIONS: 2 QUESTIONS

“WHAT IS SHAPING OUR FUTURE?”

“WHAT DO CITIZENS EXPECT AND IS EXPECTED OF CITIZENS?”

1. lack of opportunity & lack of awareness of existing opportunities

2. insufficient appreciation of the importance of participation

3. an absence of the basic economic security necessary to participate

4. a lack of time to participate in anything other than keeping themselves and their families going

5. A lack of self-confidence

BARRIERS TO PARTICIPATION

6. cynicism and a lack of trust between citizens and institutions, and vice versa

7. commercial advertising encouraging maximum consumption and a live-for-today attitude without regard to consequences (health & environmental wellbeing)

8. general rise of individualism

9. changing “expert” guidance 10. some people have no interest in participating

BARRIERS TO PARTICIPATION

1. Increase participation in public decision-making

2. Develop & nurture active citizenship

3. Build trust and respect between institutions, statutory bodies and citizens

4. Make citizenship global (because our decisions have global consequences)

5. Resource & empower citizens to enable them to participate

FIVE GRAND CHALLENGES:

1) INCREASE PARTICIPATION IN PUBLIC DECISION-MAKING

Reverse the centralisation of government

Strengthen and involve local engagement structure e.g. Public Participation Networks

2) DEVELOP & NURTURE ACTIVE CITIZENSHIP

Support and foster community and voluntary activity

Welcome the ‘tension’ between representative &

participative democracy

Change the way we do civic education

3) BUILD TRUST AND RESPECT BETWEEN INSTITUTIONS, STATUTORY BODIES AND CITIZENS

Review basic ‘contract’ of citizenship

Use the word ‘citizen’ for public services, not ‘customer’

Stronger role for Ombudsman

Open up Government more

Main & support citizens information infrastructure

4) MAKE CITIZENSHIP GLOBAL (BECAUSE OUR DECISIONS HAVE GLOBAL CONSEQUENCES)

Stronger global citizenship culture

Space in public discourse for critical engagement with EU

Leverage SDG as framework

Mainstream development education in schools

Event Title

5) RESOURCE & EMPOWER CITIZENS TO ENABLE THEM TO PARTICIPATE

Address social and economic inequality

Give citizens a ‘materials floor’

Enshrine Economic, Social & Cultural rights in the Constitution

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Thank you!

Deirdre GarveyThe Wheel

W: www.wheel.ieT: @The_Wheel_IRLF: TheWheelIreland