Exchange of possibilities, challenges, obstacles and best practices of sociocratic neighbourhood circles to promote European values Erasmus Project

Project Title

Exchange of possibilities, challenges, obstacles and best practices of sociocratic neighbourhood circles to promote European values

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for adult education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Environment and climate change

Project Summary

>>> CONTEXT/BACKGROUND OF PROJECT:
Despite significant efforts by policymakers on a European and national level, there is still a significant gap in reaching the targets in CO2 reduction and other key fields of the European 2020 Strategy. An acceleration of these legislative changes seems to be essential. Sociocratic Neighbourhood Circles could play a vital role in promoting European values as well as facilitating the necessary adjustments for addressing the climate crisis, and reaching the policy targets of the Europe 2020 strategy with respect to “Energy and climate”.

These circles could enhance behavioural change by sharing knowledge, information, as well as providing a supportive network for their members. For this, it is essential, that the group norm and functioning of these neighbourhood circles fulfil a set of basic principles in line with European values, e.g. tolerance, mutual respect and non-discrimination, solidarity, gender equality, and that they function in a pleasant and efficient way. In order to achieve this, we propose to build up social communities and give them the responsibility and the power to succeed.

>>> OBJECTIVES OF PROJECT:
Main Objective of the project is the exchange of good practice. It implies the exchange of possibilities, challenges, obstacles and best practice of Sociocratic Neighbourhood Circles SONEC, in order to promote European Values as well as the objectives of the Europe 2020 Strategy.

Other objectives of our strategic partnership are:
> All participants develop together a concept for Sociocratic Neighbourhood Circles SONEC, through which the European Values as well as the objectives of the Europe 2020 Strategy and the European Green Deal are promoted.
> The participants make the SONEC-concept and its potential for social and ecological development known in all partner countries and beyond, through a manual.
> During the 17 month of this exchange-project the participants become experts for SONEC.

>>> NUMBER AND PROFILE OF PARTICIPANTS:
The partnership includes 9 partner organisations. It ensures a diversity in geographical coverage (6 countries include Austria, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, The Netherlands), as well as in profile. Local government (the city of Augsburg), existing neighbourhood and citizen participation initiatives with a longer or shorter history, scientific platforms, different education institutions (further education and sociocracy training centre) are also included. This enables a mutually enriching exchange between partners, as well as general implications for other stakeholders on a European level.

>>> DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVITIES:
The TPM (Transnational Project Meeting)-Circle with 2 participants from each partner starts with two online-meetings before project start (1st September 2020). The TPM-Circle sets up the working structure through the first physical TPM in November 2020. There the Project-Circles will be created and start at the First LTTA (Learning, Teaching, Training Activities), 9th to 13th November 2020 with 49 participants. Until and after the second physical meetings of TPM and LTTA, in July 2021, all Project-Circles and the TPM-Circle meet bi-monthly to work out the results in mixed groups of participants.

>>> METHODOLOGY TO BE USE IN CARRYING OUT THE PROJECT
The methodology is built on the Sociocratic Circle Method SCM, also called “Sociocracy”. It is based on circle structures as an organizational principle to strengthen the responsibility of the individual. It spread from 1970 from The Netherlands all over the world and also appeared in the neighbourhood movement in India nearly 10 years ago. Today, around half of the vast and growing network of Neighbourhood Parliaments and Children’s Parliaments (reaching the number 400.000) in India decided to replace majority-voting with sociocracy. Sociocracy has played a key role in the success of co-housing projects in Vienna and its surroundings since 2010.

>>> SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE RESULTS AND IMPACT ENVISAGED
The expected results of the project:
Out of the exchange of good practise and exploring the respective fields, we develop a concept for SONEC, the important parts of which we incorporate together with all other achievements in a short manual of max. 20-40 pages.
Through this manual in our dissemination activities, we reach a large number of people, politicians in local governments and their citizens and stakeholders in all partner countries and beyond.
We use the knowledge for the next step: Innovation partnership for developing a curriculum for SONEC-Facilitators.

>>> POTENTIAL LONGER TERM BENEFITS
SONEC is the answer of democracy-crises and climate-crises. If municipalities and citizens discover the potential in SONEC, the face of the world will change.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 162066 Eur

Project Coordinator

Soziokratie Zentrum Oesterreich & Country: AT

Project Partners

• STADT AUGSBURG
• DIE WIENER VOLKSHOCHSCHULEN GMBH
• Szövetkezetiséget Támogató Egyesület
• STICHTING BIOTOPE CITY
• AFS Catalyst LTD
• Miutcánk Kft.
• Laboratorio Sicilia 2030