BeyondSnow Workshops: A Project for and with the Local Community

Feb 3, 2025

The BeyondSnow project places community involvement at the core of its mission. A participatory approach is fundamental to shaping a sustainable transition for Alpine areas, ensuring that local voices are actively engaged in decision-making processes. To achieve this, various dialogue methodologies have been explored, fostering collaboration with residents of pilot areas and encouraging their participation in project activities.

The BeyondSnow project has made the involvement of local communities fundamental to its execution. This participatory approach has been seen as the foundation for building the climate transition of Alpine resorts. In order to do so, various dialogue methodologies were explored to collaborate with the residents of the pilot locations, so that they would be actively involved in the project’s activities.

In the latest BeyondSnow workshop in Val Pesarina, participants were invited to take part in a “World Café” at the community-run café inside the Casa del Popolo di Pieria (a place that already speaks volumes about the importance of popular participation in the history of the valley). The informal atmosphere, background noise and the smell of coffee fostered the free flow of ideas and conversations between participants. The available sheets of paper weren’t enough to capture all the insights. The qualitative results of the exchange were extremely positive, laying the groundwork for future meetings and the creation of a pilot action in the valley, funded by the project. In the coming months, the community will need to continue the dialogue and take decisions on the proposed actions. The workshop, held at the bar, was attended by about 15 active participants, including citizens, ski club directors, administrators, farmers, and local association representatives.

Within the project, in addition to awareness-raising interviews and events held across the Carnic region, 5 workshops were organized, inviting all citizens and stakeholders (anyone with a connection to the Val Pesarina area and its surroundings). With the help of a university professor specializing in future studies and a team of local facilitators, a series of activities were developed to help participants envision their own future and the future of the valley “Beyond the Snow.” The further objective of the workshops was to set the groundwork to reach the idealized horizon. Despite thorough research and extensive planning, the first workshops did not achieve the expected participation. Therefore, the initiatives were redesigned, relocated, and restructured during their execution in order to adapt to the recipients’ varying needs.

The methodology was also reevaluated. In fact, at the latest workshop, an alternative working method was used: the “World Café”. This innovative method, which originates from the United States, uses informality to convey important messages and foster collaboration among participants. In practice, participants are divided into smaller groups, with each group seated at a table equipped with sheets of paper, pens, coffee, and snacks. Multiple discussion rounds (in this case, three) are planned, with the organizer setting the time limits and rules of operation. A moderator is present at each table to guide the reflection and take notes on the insights produced by the group. At the end of each round, the groups change tables and reflect on a new topic, guided by the moderator who summarizes what was discussed by the previous group. Finally, the results of the discussions are shared in a plenary session, where participants confront the collective findings.

This methodology is already widely used, for example, in the implementation process of Italy’s National Strategy for Sustainable Development (for the years 2021 and 2022) and in many other co-design initiatives operating at the local level. The success of this innovative system is due to the fact that, in a familiar and informal environment, participants are more likely to think creatively and openly, engaging in discussions with more trust and confidence. Moreover, the dynamic group alternation and the use of moderators allow for a continuous flow of ideas and the exchange of reflections, which encourage the smooth and enriching construction and reconstruction of thoughts.

The positive outcomes of the process, as well as the success of the experimented methodology, allow participatory workshops and the “World Café” method to be considered viable tools for local realities, even in more closed-off areas. These interaction methods can thrive and replicate successfully, especially in regions like Friuli Venezia Giulia, where local communities—especially in mountain areas—tend to use bars, cafés, and local meeting places as hubs for discussing central community issues. This brings organizational and social innovation even to more peripheral areas. This approach to local realities also facilitates the discussion of extremely sensitive topics and issues.

There are many examples of similar experiences on the territory, such as the World Café organized by the region for the SACHE project – Smart Accelerators of Cultural Heritage Entrepreneurship, the World Café organized by the Institute of International Sociology of Gorizia on the role of women in sports, and the experience of the ENAIP organization in Udine.

Through the event in Val Pesarina, an innovative and effective tool and method was discovered. Beyond achieving a specific outcome, it allowed for learning, experimentation, and the adoption of a new form of public participation that could open the doors to new forms of community development in mountain territories.

 

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