As Participa City continues to tackle racism and discrimination against ethnic and cultural minorities in Europe, the national steering groups play a crucial role in ensuring the project stays relevant, impactful, and closely connected to the real needs of those it serves.
What is a steering group?
Each national steering group is composed of members from ethnic and cultural minority communities. The steering groups provide ongoing feedback throughout the various phases of the project. Their feedback then leads to modifications and improvements that are integrated by the project partners to create a more effective European Participa city game. This dynamic exchange ensures that the project remains on track and aligned with its objectives of inclusion and empowerment.
This picture shows steering group from Germany. From left to right: Larissa Socrier, Leena Ferogh and Vianne Law.
Regular meetings of the Participa City national steering groups allow for an open discussion on project results and progress. Partners actively organise these gatherings to collect diverse perspectives and suggestions for improvement. Since the project’s primary beneficiaries are ethnic and cultural minorities in Europe, the inclusion of their voices through the steering groups is essential. Their direct involvement helps tailor the project’s outputs precisely to their needs, reducing the risk of missing key goals and fostering greater social impact.
At the first steering group meeting, partners presented the project’s overarching goals and invited feedback on the progress to date. Focus was placed on discussing the critical incidents database, which collects real-life instances of discrimination experienced or witnessed across all partner countries. Members evaluated the relevance of these cases and discussed lessons to be learned.
This picture shows first online meeting of the steering group from Sweden.
The steering groups’ advice on lessons learned from the critical incidents presented emphasized:
- recognizing and challenging stereotypes
- encouraging self-advocacy among minority individuals
- fostering inclusive environments by rejecting discriminatory norms
These insights strengthen Participa City’s commitment to design responsive and inclusive European game by ensuring the voices and lived experiences of ethnic and cultural minorities shape the project outcomes.