Our workshops
Morning workshops
Mainstreaming PB in Scottish Local Authorities
As we work towards the 2021 Mainstream PB Framework Agreement, we heard examples of how local authorities are ‘doing things differently’. We’ll had the opportunity to discuss what mainstream PB can look like in Scotland and the opportunities that PB can provide for local authorities and communities.
What we learned from this workshop
We explored the role that local authorities have in delivering mainstream PB across Scotland. We asked what mainstream PB will look like, how will it differ from small grants PB, and how will it adapt and fit across Scotland’s 32 local authorities?
We heard from three local authorities, Stirling, Fife and North Ayrshire about how they've approached PB in their communities, and how they’re stepping up their work to meet the 1% 2021 commitment.
Facilitated by: COSLA
Learning from young people
Young people and young people’s organisations have blazed a trail for vibrant community led PB processes across Scotland. This discussion explored what works and what lessons can be learned by the community at large.
What we learned from the workshop
To be fair and inclusive, PB needs to think carefully about how to best involve young people. Similarly, PB with young people should be designed with inclusion in mind. See the PB Charter’s Fair and inclusive principle for more.
Young people and young people’s organisations have blazed a trail for vibrant community-led PB processes across Scotland. Facilitated by Young Scot with help from Moray Council, this workshop focused on what works and what lessons can be learned by the community at large. Discussion mainly covered how PB with young people involves all young people. Participants agreed that, to be fair and inclusive, PB needs to think carefully about how to best involve young people. Similarly, PB with young people should be designed with inclusion in mind. See the PB Charter’s Fair and inclusive principle for more.
Facilitated by: Young Scot
Co-producing good PB with communities
How do we make good quality PB happen in Scotland? Can we use Scotland’s Charter for PB to work with rather than to communities?
What we learned from the workshop
PB Charter:
The Charter is a useful tool to guide good practice and ensure that the core principles of PB are in place.
PB and the PB Charter will ensure that communities are sustainable by supporting smaller organisations in a transparent and fair way.
Gorbals Ideas Fund:
Communities should design the PB process from the start – that way they get to set the parameters for the themes the PB will address from the ground up
Individuals should be able to submit ideas for funding, not just constituted groups
We need investment in the capacity of local organisations to support and deliver PB
Homeless Network Scotland:
We need to demonstrate the impact of PB in schools and get feedback from teachers
If mainstream PB processes lead to ‘surprises’ how will local authorities respond?
Making decisions on how voting should happen should always include those who will participate in the voting event
Facilitated by: SCDC
Building Dialogue and Deliberation
Good quality dialogue and deliberation is a key feature helping people taking part in PB to come to the best decisions for their communities. How is this developing in Scotland and what needs to happen to spread our practice?
What we learned from the workshop
Dialogue is important, talk without action may be called toothless but action without talk is mindless.
Building dialogue and deliberation is about increasing the quality of the conversations within a PB process. We should bring people together in dialogue, deliberate and then vote because better conversations lead to better decisions.
A more deliberative democracy supports public decisions based on evidence, conversations and reasoning rather than decisions that are based on power and money.
Participants deliberated on how we can contribute to greater deliberation within our practice and prioritised:
The need for fantastic facilitators, in every community, and from the community as well as working for the community.
Valuing and supporting lived experience is equally as a source of evidence
An intentional approach, making time to plan, organize and resource to build in dialogue and deliberation.
Naming power imbalances, addressing it to build a welcoming space.
Being positive about what is great in a community, what assets exist and build trusting relationships.
Facilitated by: Oliver Escobar
Afternoon
Let’s Get Digital
Digital tools offer additional and complimentary routes toward participation in PB processes, this workshop will share experiences of how this can best work in practice, opportunities for digital participation and challenges to be overcome.
What we learned from the workshop
We heard from 4 different examples of the use of digital in PB and the key takeaway from each was the importance of getting the process rights before focusing on a specific tool. Speakers and attendees all had different stories of certain software work well or, more likely, not quite fitting their needs.
There was also some interesting discussions balancing digital and in-person engagements, with the trade offs between the value of face-to-face discussions and community-building to the scale and accessibility of online voting methods.
Facilitated by: The Democratic Society
What place for voting?
A discussion on the debate around the proper role of voting within Scottish PB processes. Featuring colleagues from Church of Scotland, COSLA, Edinburgh University, Participatory Budgeting Project, PB Scotland
What we learned from the workshop
Discussions were wide ranging, including the importance of combining mini-publics with PB processes, and holding mini-publics before and after a vote within the community.
Additional routes to share power were discussed including co-producing PB process with communities.
Facilitated by: The Democratic Society
Tackling inequalities & PB
Tackling inequalities is a key aim of participatory budgeting in Scotland. This often overlooks the intersectional inequalities experienced by disabled people, people of colour and others. This session explored ways to guard against exacerbating injustice and use PB to help challenge inequality.
What we learned from the workshop
We need to ensure that PB is not just a majority game. We need to make sure that minority voices are heard and people are involved. Flexibility and adjustment as its important to make an extra effort and try our best to include the whole community.
Don’t take participation for granted!
Facilitated by: Glasgow Disability Alliance
Global perspectives of PB
Participants were invited to learn and discuss what has worked well in international settings, or what issues they are grappling with - sharing and learning from other’s experiences.
Facilitated by: SCDC
Learning from evaluation
What do evaluations of PB in Scotland tell us about practice, policy and impact? In this workshop we explored what evaluation work has been carried out and what lessons we can take away – and apply to our practice.
What we learned from this workshop
To be transformational, PB has to ensure that communities shape the process from the start. Community-led PB also builds the capacity of communities to hold larger agency-led PB to account.
What do evaluations of PB in Scotland tell us about practice, policy and impact? Facilitated by Glasgow Caledonian University with a contribution from Glasgow Centre for Population Health, this workshop explored what evaluation work has been carried out and what lessons we can take away – and apply to our work.
Discussion focused on how to ensure PB going forward addresses inequality. It was agreed that, in order to be transformational, PB has to ensure that communities shape the process from the start. The further point was made that community-led PB also builds the capacity of communities to hold larger agency-led PB to account.
Facilitated by: Glasgow Caledonian University
