Experience participation – the BePart project
(Issue 1 / 2025) Why do people get involved, and what impact does their participation in participatory projects have on themselves, their social network and society? These questions are being explored by the joint research project ‘BePart – Experiencing Participation – Passing on Attitudes and Enthusiasm for Participation Projects’ led by the Empirical Social Sciences Research Group at FHV in cooperation with the Centre for Communities at OST – University of Applied Sciences Eastern Switzerland.
Participation and social cohesion
A constructive culture of dialogue and strong social cohesion are important cornerstones for a functioning local community that is capable of meeting current challenges. This was already demonstrated in the IBH project ‘Resilient Communities’ by the Research Group for Empirical Social Sciences at the Vorarlberg University of Applied Sciences in cooperation with the OZG Centre for Communities at the OST – University of Applied Sciences Eastern Switzerland. An important resource for strengthening the culture of dialogue and social cohesion is the promotion of opportunities for participation and co-determination.
Based on this, the two project partners are investigating, as part of the follow-up project BePart, what motivates people to volunteer and what experiences they have in the course of their involvement between August 2023 and July 2025.
What effect does participation have on people?
To explore this question, focus group discussions were held with participants from various participation projects (‘learning projects’) in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. In addition, a standardised online survey was conducted among volunteers at a major sporting event in Vorarlberg. From the outset, the project implementation was supported by a project advisory board consisting of experts from the field. On 6 March 2025, a transfer event will also take place to bring together experienced and new participants and initiators of participation projects on these topics, as well as professional project and process facilitators, to exchange experiences.
Prerequisites and consequences of positive participation experiences
The project focuses in particular on the pre- and post-participation phases. It shows that the subjective experience of the participation process is already influenced by pre-existing factors – values and attitudes, personal prerequisites and opportunities, motivations and expectations. During the participation project, these conditions can influence how experiences are perceived and evaluated and how challenges are dealt with in the course of the project. In the aftermath of participation, this can determine how individuals evaluate their experiences and developments through participation in the participation project – personally, but also in terms of their relationship to their social environment and society. All of this can influence the extent to which future involvement in participation processes is considered and how (democratic) co-determination processes are perceived overall.
Knowledge and experience transfer
In order to reflect on these and other project results together with committed individuals, experts from science and practice, and the interested public, and to be able to apply them to specific challenges in ongoing participation processes, we cordially invite you to our transfer event ‘Erlebnis Partizipation’ (Experience Participation) on 6 March 2025. You can register by email at fabian.rebitzer@fhv.at.
Further insights into the project and previous publications can be found on the project website.
Research group for empirical social sciences
About the funding programme of the science network
