How and why do people get and stay involved in different types of participation over their lifetime?

Véronique JochumNational Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO)25 September 2014

How and why does participation begin and continue?

Research questions

Can trends and patterns of participation be identified over time?

What connections, if any, are there between different forms and episodes of participation and what triggers movement between them?

Approach

3 field work areas:

LeedsEnfieldSuffolk

Individual at the centre

Qualitative research 101 in-depth

interviews

Participation as ‘situated practice’

Stakeholder engagement

Life storiesLiterature review

Mapping workshops

Analytical framework

Approach: Broad view of participation over time

Formative years Middle years Later years

Thinking about your own participation

• What’s your earliest memory of participation?

• When in your life did you participation the least? What kept you from getting more involved in the things you were interested in?

• Is there a link between the activities you have been involved in over your life? If so, what is it?

• What allows you to keep going today?

The factors that shape participationIndividual motivations and resources

Relationships and social networks

Groups and organisations

Local environment and place

Wider societal and global influences

Participation over time

Critical moments

Life stages

Priorities

• Some degree of fluctuation in the levels of intensity and frequency

• Not one linear pathway• Participation is affected by changes in life stage, priorities and

‘critical moments’• Some connections across different activities and through them

Why participation starts

An emotional reactionA personal life eventAn external influence

Practical resourcesLearnt resourcesFelt resources

Groups and organisationsLocal environment and place

Helping othersDeveloping relationshipsExercising values & beliefsHaving influenceFor personal benefitBeing part of something

Why participation continues or stopsFriendship

s

Life event

Relationships

TimeHealth

Enjoyment

Impact

Energy

Conclusions

Participation is personal

People participate in ways that suit them, though it can be encouraged, supported & made more attractive

Participation can increase over time but not automatically

Available from:

www.pathwaysthroughparticipation.org.uk/resources