Voicitys – Voices of Diversity The Voicitys method was created in the frame of a pilot project supported by the Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme of the European Union. VOICITYS’ aims were to improve social integration through the strengthening of social dialogue in European neighbourhoods characterized by ethnic and cultural diversity, through improving sustainable communication and integration between different social groups, and through deepening dialogue between policy-makers, stakeholders and citizens as a means of promoting more efficient diversity management. Our pilot activities focused on four diverse neighbourhoods in four European countries with different histories, political cultures, traditions and experiences with diversity and migration: Wedding area in Berlin, Germany, Józsefváros-8th district in Budapest, Hungary, the Historical Centre of Sassari in Sardinia, Italy, and the Charlestown and Lower Kersal (CHALK) neighbourhood of Salford, UK. The Voicitys method is divided into three main parts, as follows: 1-Research and storytelling – information gathering In the frame of research and storytelling, local inhabitants, stakeholders and policy makers obtain a possibility to express their opinions, and/or their personal stories and experiences lived in their neighbourhood. In the pilot project, the main approach of these interviews was around the question of diversity. Two main approaches were combined in this research part: a) Semi-structured interviews following the more classical social research method were conducted with stakeholders and policy makers. The interviews were based on a preliminary agreed list of 10-12 questions, but the interviewees were free to develop their thoughts and opinions. The interviewers were
selected among the researchers who conducted the interviews, or their assistants. b) Storytelling video or audio narratives based on the Community Reporting method introduced by People’s Voice Media were created with local inhabitants contacted in a random way on the streets, the markets, or other community spaces of the neighbourhoods. In the CR practice the narratives were not been based on any previously set list of questions, only one initial launching question (“How is it like, living in your neighbourhood”) and the people had the freedom to choose their topics, and to speak about their experiences and express their thoughts just in the same way as in a “normal” everyday conversation. The “interviewer”, or in other works, the person who initiated and registered the conversation only asked questions that were in line with the story presented by the narrative of the interviewee. In accordance to the CR method, the “reporters” were themselves people belonging to the local communities. They had been trained before the interviews, and during the process, they met several times in order to discuss about their experiences, their problems, or their questions. c) The results of both approaches were summarized in different ways: The semi structured interviews were summarized by the research group supervising the process, providing the opinion of the “neutral” outsider researcher. The CR narratives/stories were summarized by the reporters themselves in the frame of a co-curation event. During this event, the reporters discussed the main elements of the stories, and identified, together the common elements as well as the ‘anomalies’: i.e. the elements that somehow were different,
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