Practical Participation

How can we help?

Practical Participation isn’t a big organisation. We don’t have glossy publicity materials or fancy offices to invite you to. But we do have a track record in delivery high quality work.

We support organisations and individuals with thinking about youth participation and social technologies. From our Participation Support service, to bespoke social media consultancy, we offer practical support backed by experience, research and critical thinking.

We develop new projects – particularly where there is an innovation edge in participation, youth engagement or social technologies. Sometimes we come up with the ideas. Other times we work to bring other’s ideas to reality.

We connect practitioners, service users, innovators, academics and policy makers. Whether it’s through developing online networks and resources, or convening face-to-face events and open space conferences – creating connections is at the heart of our practice.

We share learning through capturing stories of practice and sharing them in conversations, in documents, through blogging and speaking at events.

We deliver training, workshops and participative events – covering themes in youth engagement and activism, organisational change, youth work and digital media.

We welcome opportunities to work in partnership with individuals and organisations who share our core values of social justice and participation.

Here are just some of the organisations we’ve worked with:

• Substance Coop – research and development for the Plings positive activity information project; blogging; developing online networks.
• YouthBank UK – developing a national Management Information System and tools for local youth led grantmaking groups; interim management.
• NESTA - supporting the development of youth engagement strategies for NESTA’s youth programme.
• Oxfam GB – developing and fascilitating an online course in video campaigning for Oxfam activists.
• The Open University – writing on Youth Participation for the Foundation Degree in Youth Work.
• The National Youth Agency – more projects than we can mention – from national youth consultation, to supporting local skill building in the voluntary sector.
• Participation Works – writing resources on youth engagement and interim management of the Participation Works website.
• The Association for Young People’s Health – facilitating youth participation planning with young people and board members.
• The Innovation Exchange – grant making for the Next Practice programme.
• The Commonwealth Youth Exchange Council – developing a new online presence, and supporting the use of digital media in young commonwealth work across the globe.