Method 'Open courtyards'

This method tests the capacity of the Roma community living in disadvantaged areas to define topics of interest and to come together around the issues that are defined in an open, informal dialogue. The setting of the open courtyard loosely follows the current type of consultations that politicians occasionally perform in the community - they pay short visits where they ask about problems. Except that now, the hierarchy and power of that type of interaction is subverted; instead, neighbours visit each other to talk, peer to peer, about their issues and the participants will have to operate at a horizontal level. There will be a budget for snacks to create a relaxed atmosphere and encourage people to sit and talk.

Tags/ keywords: Method, deliberation, internal dialogue, empowerment, information, technical knowledge.