Representation
Are you struggling with representation in your organisation, political committees, board, city council, among your members, in your support base or when meeting citizens?
How do we ensure better and broader representation?
Representation is about ensuring that many diverse voices are heard, helping to ensure that the knowledge, resources and commitment we have gathered become an asset – both in the decision-making process and in the subsequent implementation phase. With a clear strategy for representation, we avoid narrow special interests or “soldiers of fortune” taking control at the expense of the wider community. Real representation may also ensure legitimacy and support for decisions made across a diverse group of citizens.
Representation is also about how someone or something is present or presented to the public. In practice, representation can mean standing in for someone in a particular matter or on a particular occasion. Broad representation is clever – it means we don’t all have to be there all the time, but someone can be there on behalf of others.
We are expert advisors in strengthening methods for increased representation, partly because in more and more parts of society’s democratic institutions and decision-making processes, representation is challenged. When fewer people are heard or run for office, perspectives are lost, choices become narrower and reflections more skewed. In other words, there are voices and experiences that are not represented in decision-making processes the way they are in the rest of society.
We are here to help:
Advising on how councils, boards, advisory boards, etc. may be composed to ensure greater representation of gender, age groups, minorities and more voices.
Developing specific participation strategies to increase representation. It can be targeted to specific purposes and organisations, e.g., housing associations, democratic businesses, public councils and associations.
Helping to initiate and facilitate processes that work with other forms of representation, such as youth councils and Youth Advisory Boards.
Helping to identify and solve the organisational challenges and tasks that working with representation can create.
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know more?
