Within the scope of the EU24 Engage for the Planet Project, the international event “CLIMATE DEBATE: Empowering underrepresented people’s voices and boosting their commitment to green mobility” took place in Strasbourg on September 28, 2023.
76 participants from more than 16 countries attended the event, which was organized by ALDA in partnership with the EU24 project partners Comparative Research Network, EAGEA Alumni, Open Plan Foundation and Changemaker. The event offered a great opportunity for debate on the obstacles to green mobility in Europe and potential solutions.
The conference aimed to empower and amplify underrepresented voices, making them join the discussion about green mobility and its impact on our planet. The discourse was significantly shaped by the encouragement given to youth and citizens from all backgrounds to express and share their perspectives. Participants engaged in high-profile discussions on the subject of green mobility, analyzing problems, possible solutions and suggestions for a greener and healthier future.
During the plenary session, Emma Pagliarusco from the Youth and Environment Europe, and Chloé Mothu and Victor Douilly from the Climate Agency of Strasbourg intervened bringing their valuable contribution to the success of the event. A representative of the Région Grand Est opened the conference with institutional greetings, and the EU24 project leader, Comparative Research Network, provided a detailed presentation of the project.
Guided by facilitators from the project partners, the participants from different countries and different backgrounds discussed in small groups on the future of green mobility in Europe, brainstormed and co-design a policy recommendation on the topic. During the work-in-groups sessions, facilitators used the method called “Articulating a Vision”, a debate technique aimed to identify the issue, visualize the future and try to find a solution together as a group on how to reach that future without illusions. Many interesting ideas on green mobility emerged from the group debates, and the results were presented to the plenary as a conclusion of the conference.
The group discussions revealed a particular focus of the participants on the issue of public transport, with many aspects being considered: accessibility of transport in economic terms (discounts on tickets and financial support for the purchase of tickets by institutions); awareness-raising and training on green mobility issues; incentives for innovation and technology for more advanced and modern forms of green mobility; incentives for the use of bicycles; and regulation of car production and circulation.
Overall, whether the participants came from different countries and had different backgrounds, all groups showed common items and the various discussions led to similar conclusions, revealing that what emerged from the groups represents the main challenges that most of the people perceive as urgent.
Moreover, as part of the poster competition launched in the framework of a project to link creativity with the raise of awareness of challenges and problems about the climate crisis. The poster competition works as a way to increase understanding of the difficulties and opportunities brought on by the climate crisis. Consequently it enables participants to connect local issues of sustainability, climate justice and climate change to broader discussions. Three posters in competition were exposed during the event, coming from Italy, France and Germany. The attendees in the conference had the opportunity to vote for the posters during the event, and the winner of the poster competition on green mobility was announced. The three posters were fully appreciated, and the italian Saba Armeni, won with her interesting work on green mobility. She will be invited to attend the project’s Final Conference in Brussels, in 2024.
The Climate Debate in Strasbourg has been a significant occasion to underline the importance of giving voice to citizens, especially the underrepresented and marginalized ones, with a wide and diverse audience. Together we aim to decrease the democratic participation gap of young citizens, citizens of diverse backgrounds, in a gender balanced way by showing them their voices matter.
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Event Report
Local Issues and EU Policy Country Report 1:France
]]>About the Event:
Our event aims to highlight on the one hand the peculiar consequences of the climate crisis on women, and on the other hand to give women working in this field the floor to share stories, experiences, and practices.
Join us to hear from inspiring women who are making a difference in the fight against the climate crisis and engage in meaningful discussions with
experts and like-minded individuals.
Event Details:
Date: November 29, 2023
Time: 6:00 PM (Berlin Time)
Location: Online
Language: English
Registration Information:
Please visit our event registration page: https://cloud.comparative.space/index.php/apps/forms/s/DdxeJptHgiHNH2tyJmdbtA8M
After filling in the registration form, you will receive an email with the link to join the event.
Help Us Spread the Word:
We invite you to not only participate but also help us spread the word about this important event. Please share this invitation with your
colleagues, friends, and networks who may be interested in joining the conversation on the impact of the climate crisis on women and the strength
they bring to climate action. Together, we can create a wider and more inclusive dialogue.
If you have any questions or require further information, please do not hesitate to contact us at:
maxine.cottreau@crnonline.de
kamila.franz@crnonline.de
We look forward to your participation in this important event and hope to see you online on November 29th, 2023.
]]>Participatory exercise – Articulating a vision
The debate method used for the Mobility Group is called Facilitated Participatory Exercise. The purpose of this debating method is to find out the problem, visualize the future and try to work out together how to reach that future without illusions.
Evaluation of the method
Methodology test brought together participants from diverse backgrounds, including people living in capital cities and remote villages. Despite their different realities, they identified common problems such as over-centralization, unreliable public transport and affordability issues. Importantly, there was a consensus among the participants, with no disagreements observed throughout the process. However, the method itself was found to be somewhat static and it is suggested that a more dynamic approach could be beneficial. One recommendation is to better specify the future time frame (e.g., by dividing it into shorter (e.g. 5 years) and longer (e.g. 25 years) intervals), allowing for more nuanced discussions and the development of two or three well-articulated recommendations. In addition, incorporating group dynamics and using a facilitator in a conference setting could further enhance the effectiveness of this method. Overall, the testing of the Articulate a Vision debate method provided valuable insights into pressing mobility issues and allowed participants to collectively envision a more sustainable and accessible future. By considering feedback and incorporating improvements, this method can be further refined and used in different settings to encourage engaging and productive discussions among participants.
Classic Mindfulness Lead Debate
It is a set of rules that foundation the Mindfulness concept that might help to organise space and the participants’ attitudes in a certain way. It includes verbalising intention before starting the session indicating to everyone the intention for the whole debate (kind & curious interest (towards others but also towards yourself), to be open-minded, non-judgmental, open awareness), and meditation.
Evaluation of the method
The technique takes away the competition from the debate and creates space for some deeper thinking. The reminder about mindful listening was helpful, as we very often have a tendency to speak our minds instead of being present with another person talking. Saying our names before voicing our thoughts made participants feel more engaged in the conversation. Some participants felt that the topic of food production was quite difficult and technical, and they felt that they could not contribute much to the subject. They suggested that maybe having some experts to talk about it would be quite helpful. This method was found to be engaging and allows deeper reflection. The participants valued the fact that they had the chance to first self-reflect and only later move on to group discussions. The meditation at the beginning of the session helped people to ground themselves. It also helped to ignore the noise and distractions around and focus more on the debate. It seems that this method would work fine also online.
Fishbowl
The main idea of this method is to divide a group in two: one group in the bowl, second group outside of the bowl. The participants in the bowl had an open conversation about the long term vision on energy. Participants switched places during the conversation (facilitated by the moderator) so they were in and out the fishbowl. While outside the fishbowl participants made notes on their observations during the conversation. After the first round in-depth reflection on the conservation among the observers and the participants, there was no clear outcome but many suggestions were raised related to long -term energy vision, the importance of a global approach, equal access to energy, sharing knowledge and alternative energy resources.
Evaluation of the method:
The method was rated as very effective. However, it is necessary to have strong facilitation which might also mean removing too ‘talkative’ participants from the fishbowl and inviting those being on stand-by. Participants who were on ‘stand-by’ enjoyed listening to the fishbowl discussions also because some of them had a chance to revisit their own opinions. This method seems more fitted for off-line interactions rather than online or hybrid ones.
1-2-4-All
It is a technique that facilitates conversation in small groups and then brings the small groups together to integrate their ideas on the topic. First, participants silently reflect on a question or issue (1). Then they share their reflections in pairs (2). After 5-10 minutes, two pairs join up (4) and continue with the conversation as a group. Finally, everyone gathers together to sum up their main conclusions. Our modification: Due to the small size of the group we modified the group sizes. After the individual reflection, we discussed in groups of 3 and afterward all together.
Evaluation of the method
This method was found to be engaging and allows deeper reflection. The participants valued the fact that they had the chance to first self-reflect and only later move on to group discussions. It seems that this method would work fine also online. Participants also agrees that the method is inclusive (everyone has a chance to express their opinion), engaging (working in pairs and small groups means everyone takes part), safe (participants reflect first alone, they have time to clearly formulate their
thoughts, the aim is to reach a solution and come up with it together), tolerant, representative, has easy language, leads to conclusions (several rounds of discussion each time in a bigger group helps to narrow down the ideas) and it gives a possibility to collect questions as well anonymously (the initial part could be anonymous, written down and then discussed in groups).