On Thursday, June 6th, we held our first Boost Lokal Lëtzebuerg Co-creation evening in Mamer. The event had an amazing turnout, with around 60 citizens from across the west of Luxembourg coming together to co-create solutions to local challenges.
The event comes after six months of ideation workshops across the region, where local residents were asked to share the local challenges that affect daily life and their dreams for potential solutions. The Boost Lokal team then distilled the 350 ideas into 20 key challenges, as well as identified 3 local projects to boost.
(Click on a photo below to open the gallery)
Participants for the co-creation evening chose their top two choices of challenges, and from this, 7 tables were created to find solutions to the following challenges:
- BOOST Ludus: How can we create an intergenerational meeting place where people can learn, play and enjoy a range of activities using on-site resources?/How can we create an alternative learning environment for children, close to nature?
- BOOST Kilogram: How can we turn the Kilogram.lu zero waste grocery store into a collectively managed project?
- How can we develop a local community café and grocery shop offering simple, local meals and creating social links?
- How can we set up a platform for the exchange/sale of services and objects?
- How can we support local people in launching new projects?
- How can we breathe new life into our neighbourhoods through meeting places/how can we address the needs of isolated elderly people?
- How can we encourage the emergence of participative and ecological housing at local level?
With the support of our team of volunteer facilitators, each group was taken through the co-creation process developed by Start-up de Territoire in France, the inspiration for Boost Lokal Lëtzbuerg. Through a variety of creative activities and brainstorming questions, participants were taken through the process from initial out-of-the-box thinking to designing a solution that integrates the ideas of everyone. At the end of the workshop, the seven groups each presented their creative and inspiring solutions to the room!
Many participants expressed their enthusiasm about the event afterwards, with one person saying “It was a dream come true full of creativity, conviviality and hope. We need it so much!”
What comes next? After a brief selection process, each project will receive six months of coaching and support. Partner-led workshops and information sessions will help teams to develop their projects and identify potential financing, while regular networking and community events will foster links between the projects and the local community. The ultimate aim is to support each team in launching their solution in order to have a real local impact.
Discover the seven projects that were created during the event here!