Dialogue

1

• Dialogue
• Engagement
• Youth
• Keith Newton
• Aberdeenshire Council
• 11th May 2006

2
Participation engagement

• The drive towards a more active engagement of
  people in local affairs is now stronger than ever
• Public participation is a means to several ends
  and should be seen as a range of positive
  activities and initiatives that gives the public
  opportunities choices to put forward their views

3
Quality service delivery

• Across the whole range of services, local
  authorities must be able to engage in dialogue
  with the public in all their collective and
  individual dimensions.
• Involvement varies from seeking the views of
  individuals,as a community, as an interest group
  (eg, the socially excluded), as a voluntary
  organisation, as other public sector bodies or as
  a local business, etc.

4
The tied market

• As a tied market, it is crucial that councils
  present a range of forums to give users a voice.
  
• Having a voice provides an alternative mechanism
  for ensuring accountability and enhancing the
  quality of service.
• Different groups will expect and require to be
  engaged in different ways.

5
Increasing the focus

• There has been a gradual growth in public
  participation in many areas of local government
  in recent years.
• This has come about in a number of ways
• partly through the recognition that public
  participation does not undermine local democracy,
  
• partly through a range of experiments which have
  been designed to encourage public participation,
• partly through an increasing focus on customer
  service and customer-led approaches.

6
Changing expectations

• The public is no longer deferential and
  accepting
• it wants to have opportunities to make choices in
  service provision and input into policy thinking
  and decision-making.
• citizens are demanding more say in decisions
  affecting their future and
• are less willing to defer to, or accept the
  decisions of, politicians, local authority
  workers and other so-called experts.

7
Consultation or participation?

• Consultation is
• a process which is used to determine perceptions,
  impart new information, establish customer
  satisfaction and so on, but
• often consultation does not secure involvement
  and participation
• consultation is an invitation to express views on
  a specific issue (eg, a plan, a development
  proposal or policy document) and implies that the
  plan has already been prepared.
•  

8
Consultation or participation?

• Participation is
• an educative process whereby the way of doing
  something is as important as what is done.
• people want to participate in meaningful ways and
  will resist consultations which see them (the
  public) as passive recipients of information.
• It is about getting people involved in the
  formation of a development proposal, policy plan,
  performance review, etc and by doing so, gives
  ownership.
• The involvement must be a two-way process

9
Community engagement

• Community engagement is the process by which
  local people can articulate their needs and
  aspirations and have a meaningful role in the
  development of town strategies and action plans
• Inadequate community enagagement will result in
  town strategies and plans that do not fully
  reflect community needs and aspirations
• Support and belief in the strategy will be
  lessened.
• Implementation is likely to be more difficult

10
What does this mean for us?

• Most SUSSET activities will involve some form of
  community engagement
• The scope and nature of that engagement will vary
  across each activity
• The quality of that engagement will influence the
  outcome of the project
• Effective engagement is a key to a sustainable
  community

11
Project activities

• Proposed Youth Conference
• will focus on engaging with young people
• looking at best practice
• build upon practical examples
• identify key messages
• Review of Practice
• review approaches to involvement
• learn from each project activity
• draw together best practice
• identify key messages

12
Review of Practice

• Different approaches and methods of engagement
• The extent to which decision making is devolved
  to local communities
• How local communities are supported in decision
  making processes and structures
• What constitutes best practice

13
Youth Conference

• Day 1
• Arrive at Aberdeen airport PM
• Escort to Ellon and book into hotel
• Evening orientation walk around Ellon quick visit
  to Ythan Centre
• Day2
• Introduction to event
• Meet and greet young people at Ythan centre
• Getting to know you exercise
• Presentation of youth projects in Ellon
• Presentations of youth project from 11 towns  
• International evening with participants taking
  traditional food/music from their countries

14
Youth Conference 2

• Day 3
• Share methods of engagement with young people
• Project building
• Explore possible exchanges
• Set up network of Young people
• Bus tour to other projects/castle/Aberdeen?
• Ceilidh  
• Day 4
• Book out of Hotel and return to Aberdeen airport.