Participatory Methods 1

In my opinion the presentation by Dr Paula Siitonen gave us better insights into the important concepts of participatory methods. The very first exercise we jointly did with the string was a good reminder to all of us about the fact that we all are part of a bigger network and, through our various interactions, we are either impacted by or impacting this network.
From this we can deduce that successful participatory planning requires an in-depth understanding of the dynamics involved in the interactions of various social groups, individuals, authorities and organizations.
The tasks given during the lecture such as identifying the stakeholders of the respective cases were quite helpful to come up with ideas that will later serve as a basis for preparing our project plans.
The last part of the session, the exhibition walk, gave each participant the chance to explain the individual case on which he/she is working on and it was also an opportunity to learn what is actually going on in the other groups and to suggest ways that may help them to improve their work.
Overall, I can say that it was a highly interactive and equally entertaining session.