‘Everyone takes part!’

On Monday 18 November, the network meeting of VNG (Association of Netherlands Municipalities) as part of the project ‘Everyone takes part!’ was held in Heerlen. This project supports municipalities in implementing the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Visit Zuid-Limburg also participated in the meeting from the Interreg Europe project OpenRegioCulture. The participants of the network meeting were officials of Limburg municipalities and experts by experience.
 

After the plenary session on inclusion in the municipality of Heerlen, the group was split into two for the workshops. One of the workshops was given by Visit Zuid-Limburg. During this workshop, OpenRegioCulture project was explained; the project's objectives, the working method and the role of co-creation within the project. The workshop participants were divided into two groups and set to work on the question ‘What are good examples of co-creation?’. The good examples were noted - with tips and tops - and a list of indispensable elements for co-creation was drawn up.

A key recurring theme throughout the meeting was ‘not about us without us’. Several ideas emerged from the workshop that are important for co-creation, including: training experience experts in giving feedback, constant feedback to involved parties, giving everyone time to participate, needs assessment with the invitation to a meeting and making the co-creation manual itself accessible. These and other findings will be included in the co-creation manual currently being worked on within the OpenRegioCulture project.