The challenge
Many underrepresented and underserved groups still face barriers to taking part in public decision-making. These include migrants, refugees, foreign workers, homeless people, families receiving income support, immigrant women facing barriers to childcare and employment, and people experiencing housing insecurity.
GEtCoheSive addressed this challenge by testing ways to involve these groups more meaningfully in shaping policies and services that affect their daily lives.
What the project did
Project partners implemented 12 pilot actions in different local contexts. These pilots tested participatory and deliberative approaches in areas such as migrant integration, welfare services, labour market inclusion, housing, mental health and climate-related policies.
Citizens, civil society organisations, researchers and public authorities worked together to identify needs, co-design solutions and strengthen dialogue between communities and institutions.
What partners learned
A key strength of GEtCoheSive was the combination of local experimentation and transnational cooperation. Each pilot responded to local needs, while partners exchanged methods, experiences and lessons across borders.
The project showed that many communities face similar challenges, including language barriers, limited inclusion in decision-making, short-term participation processes and weak links between participatory practices and formal governance structures.
Main results
The pilot experiences were consolidated into four practical toolkits for participatory governance. Together with four Local Action Plans and one Transnational Action Plan, these outputs offer concrete methods for public authorities and civil society organisations that want to improve participation processes and engage groups that are often excluded.
The Transnational Action Plan is one of the project’s main legacies. It focuses on four priorities:
- multilingual and inclusive communication tools
- co-design and community-based participation formats
- long-term partnerships between public authorities and civil society
- stronger integration of participation into formal governance structures
Lasting impact
During the project, around 740 citizens were directly involved. The project also engaged local, regional and national public authorities, universities, research organisations and civil society organisations.
Its results will continue beyond the project lifetime. Six organisations have committed to using the project toolkits, five organisations have committed to implementing actions from the Local and Transnational Action Plans, and eleven organisations have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to continue cooperation after the project’s completion.
What others can use
GEtCoheSive provides practical resources for cities, public authorities, civil society organisations and researchers that want to make participation more inclusive and effective.
Its toolkits, action plans and cooperation model can help others design accessible participation processes, build trust between institutions and communities, and create more responsive governance systems.
By combining local innovation with transnational learning, GEtCoheSive has shown how European cooperation can support lasting pathways for meaningful citizen participation across Central Europe.