Supporting participants to drive change after a deliberative process
The main aim of a citizens’ jury or assembly is to convene ordinary people with diverse experiences and perspectives to write recommendations on what needs to happen. As demographically representative groups, juries or assemblies can provide legitimacy when making decisions on contentious issues.
However, the journey from writing recommendations to implementing them in policy is never straightforward.
Policy-making processes involve diverse actors and interest groups who will need to be brought onboard. Strict funding rules can lead to inaction or slow progress. Politics is also unpredictable, with elections every few years.
We believe that the diversity of experiences and perspectives is one of the greatest strengths of a citizens’ jury or assembly, which can be a potent force for change beyond the initial recommendation writing process.
With this in mind, we supported former participants of the Blackburn with Darwen People’s Jury on the Climate Change Crisis to push for change based on the recommendations they produced in late 2022.
Over 12 months, we supported former jury members to present their recommendations to stakeholders, hold the council to account, meet their MPs, and set up a climate café, amongst other things.