Citizens' Council

Leiden municipality has taken an important step towards the citizens' council on energy transition. More than 100 Leiden citizens received information and a preview through a micro-citizen consultation.

This evening QandR was used, among other things, to gauge where in the municipality people come from. People in the room could indicate on a map via the Pointer where in Leiden they live or work. Based on this visual overview, the municipality was able to select a representative group with participants from each neighbourhood. These people were then asked to participate in the micro-citizen council.

This miniature citizens' meeting was facilitated by Yung Lie of de Beuk and organised by Leidse Gesprekken. Yung Lie also deploys QandR during recurring meetings on racism and discrimination that takes place when people are looking for a home or work.

I like using Qandr at large conferences where complex issues are discussed, such as racism, slavery history, discrimination. The tooling allows me to seek nuance with large groups. For example, using the quadrant, which plots opinions on two axes representing a dilemma. And it even worked when the wifi in the room went down and we had to continue with about 100 people using a hotspot via a mobile phone.

Yung Lie, Social Enterpreneur, De Beuk Consultancy

Citizens' councils involve citizens in decision-making. They get a chance to have a say on important issues. Participants learn more about the topic and express their opinions during meetings. The aim is to make the public's voice heard and strengthen local democracy.

Would you like to experience how QandR works for once? Then book a free demo here. We will demonstrate a live session and show you how to set up your own session via the QandR dashboard. If you just want to get started right away, request a facilitator account.