Transition skills in citizens communities

Abstract

In a context of demographic, digital and ecological transitions, the promotion of citizen participation in the design of public policies is increasingly in demand and relevant. This article presents the GIZARTE LAB Model (Social Innovation Laboratory) focused on the promotion of Transition skills, understood as the increase of personal skills integrated into collective capacities to promote incremental and cumulative social innovations to produce long term solutions. For the development of these competencies, GIZARTE LAB connects citizens (experiential knowledge) with technical people/managers of public policies (technical-institutional knowledge) at the municipal level (local) within the framework of Transitional communities. The Laboratory's methodology is based on four moments: a) Life Map (emotional competencies), b) Design of Futures (anticipatory competencies), c) Design of Pilot Experiences (innovative competencies), d) Development of transitional communities (relational competencies). Since 2019, GIZARTE LAB has been implemented in 12 municipalities and 290 people have participated. The article offers discussion and conclusions, pointing out both the limitations of the model and the lessons learned.

Keywords

• transition skills
• transition management
• social innovation
• citizen participation