Future of Participation

From Friday 7 to Thursday 13 July 2023, the GLA Community Engagement Team hosted a weeklong series of conversations, challenges, and thought provocations to help us explore how we think about and ‘do’ participation in policymaking, both online and in person across London.

We know our city is still grappling with the aftermath of a global pandemic, facing a pressing cost-of-living crisis, and contending with challenges to democratic participation, such as the introduction of voter IDs. We also know certain communities are disproportionately impacted by existing and deep-rooted inequalities.

Our ambition was to convene inclusive learning spaces where community voices are amplified, where connections between individuals and organisations can happen and help break down barriers to meaningful participation. 

We know together, we can shape the future we envision and build a city, a London, where every voice is heard and truly matters.

What we achieved

The six-day exploration saw over 1300 people register to take part in dialogue between Londoners, organisations who support them and the Mayor of London’s policy teams. We would like to thank everyone involved in making the week such a success.

We will be sharing the slides, recordings and summaries across the 14 sessions on our website soon. We are also developing a learning guide which will collate the insights from the events which will be ready to share in Autumn 2023. 

We want to continue this journey with you, to reflect, build and connect on participation and there are many ways in which you can stay involved:

• Sign up to be part of the London Engagement Collaborative (LEC)
  LEC is the GLA’s pan London cross sector network bringing together local authorities, community and faith groups, funders, academics, and policymakers, to work with us to explore what engagement is taking place across London, to learn from good practice and to think about what engagement and participation can look like in the future. LEC will relaunch in Autumn 2023. If you would like to be involved in the next phase of the LEC and to attend the monthly networking events, please contact [email protected]. 
• Register for updates on the Future of Participation
  We are in the process of collating the stories, evidence and insights from the Future of Participation events series and a learning guide which we hope share in Autumn 2023. You can stay up to date and receive information about future events and activities by registering on our online form.

• Contact us - Email us at [email protected]
• Sign up to the Mayor’s Community newsletter for regular updates on the GLA’s work with communities and to find out more about the work communities are doing across London.