CitizensLab

01/03/2016

We are a collective of diverse practitioners from across Europe active in multiple sectors with the role of Community organizers, artists, activists, educators, policy-makers, facilitators, active citizens.. We wish to connect and be in mutual relationships and learning with actors of change who want to learn, act, and experiment with creating new forms of citizens ́co-creation and participation across Europe. Collectively we want to create a Europe of communities and neighborhoods where citizens (residents, immigrants, refugees) have the right, power, and opportunity to self-organise, participate and co-create situated and adapted solutions to issues that affect their lives. Collectively we want to create a Europe where a culture of care, solidarity, power within, inclusion, diversity and justice is nurtured and practiced. We want to collectively explore “How our diverse practices create the conditions for citizens to self-organise and co-create new ways of living, working and deciding together for the common good?”

We want to address the divides and crises we are currently facing, economic, ecological, democratic, social, as well as spiritual through a deep systemic change approach intervening at the root level. These are some of the key challenges we are observing and want to address through our action-research practices: At a collective (invisible) level, Lack of TRUST: >in people you don´t know >in the power of the collective > on our own abilities/believe in ourselves > in what you don´t understand > in people with different values > in multidisciplinary approaches > in the roles of the arts and culture in shaping how we organise our society/make-decisions.. >in current governments and current narratives At an individual (invisible) level, FEAR of: >Change > Differences > of loosing the little you have (knowledge, resources, power in our circles, security, sense of safety..), > of leaving the comfort zone > of not knowing (no capacity to dive into it on our own) > of losing your privileges and your access to resources > of imagining another possible future

Yes! In 2021 the core Croup is composed of: Alice Priori, CLab coordinator and community weaver based in Berlin. Maria Scordialos “systems activist" and catalyser of change based in Athens. Martin Pairet, networks weaver and organic baker in the making, based in Berlin. Louise Armstrong, systemic change navigator based in London. Carolin Göthel, regenerative facilitator based in Berlin. Together we make sense, care, catalyse resources and see the way forward for the developments of CitizensLab e.V.

Activating our Social Capital: Relationships. Hosting and sustaining a diverse, Europe-wide network of living labs/collectives/initiatives hosting processes where citizens are self-organising, participating and co-creating situated and adapted solutions to issues that affect their lives. Actions supporting the activation: > Ecosystem Map of systemic change Labs/Collectives: to illuminate the work and practices sustaining the CLab longer-term goal, find collaborators, spot patterns and feel part and supported by a wider network of local change-makers. >CLab Learning Journey 2021 > CLab festival(s), in-person gathering (once it will be possible again) Activating our Human Capital: hosting and sustaining collective learning and meaning-making to build new narratives and a new body of knowledge [the CLab Practice] in order to help new forms of self-organization to emerge and thrive within and between communities in Europe. Actions supporting the activation: >Through the community of practice sessions we will support a meaningful dynamic of learning and exchange in support of self-organized forms of citizens governance >Capture the knowledge, practices, stories on our website and activating collective intelligences in dedicated meetings For the other CLab Capitals (financial, structural and cultural) we invite you to check our website! Our ways of working and approaches derived from a variety of disciplines and methods: Social Lab Action-Research System Thinking Complexity theory AoH-Art of Hosting Meaningful Conversation TCoP-Transformative Community of Practice Embodiment and Somatic Use of the Arts Regenerative and Living Systems approaches