Nicole Hunter
WORK WITH US! JOIN OUR FACILITATION TEAM

Are you an entry level or senior facilitator? Our specialist team of passionate engagement practitioners is growing! We're looking for facilitators interested in working on high-influence engagement projects in a fast-paced, flexible work environment. Applications close this Friday 21 February.

WORK WITH US! JOIN OUR FACILITATION TEAM
Industry Insights, Free resources
Nicole Hunter
THE INTERNAL FACTOR: IDEAS FROM THE INDUSTRY

Many of the engagement processes MosaicLab delivers are built around big, complex or strategic issues or decisions. These processes can result in outcomes that affect large cohorts of staff across an organisation.

Not only will some of these staff be required to implement the decision, but involving and informing them from the start of the process will contribute to the overall success of your project.

We wanted to delve deeper into this topic, so we sat down with two internal communication and change specialists with backgrounds in the public sector. They’ve shared easy-to-implement internal communications tips and ideas that you could apply to any big project, engagement process or change.

THE INTERNAL FACTOR: IDEAS FROM THE INDUSTRY
Case studies
Nicole Hunter
CASE STUDY: BALANCING PRICING AND FAIRNESS FOR ...

From April-July 2017, 35 randomly selected, everyday citizens came together to help Yarra Valley Water shape future services and prices.

The jury deliberated for more than 40 hours over five days across three months to address the remit, working together together to consider complex options and trade-offs, and challenge both their own assumptions and those of Yarra Valley Water.   

In this case study we explore challenges, learnings, insights and more that can be considered when planning for future deliberative engagement processes.

CASE STUDY: BALANCING PRICING AND FAIRNESS FOR ALL
Events & opportunities
Nicole Hunter
BEHIND THE SCENES OF PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING

Thank you to the panellists and participants who joined us for a brief journey behind the scenes of Participatory Budgeting (PB) at the 2018 IAP2 Australasia Conference this week. Delegates took part in a mini PB process before engaging in conversation with the panel and exploring lessons learned from recent projects across Australia and the UK.

We’ve provided some free PB resources at the bottom of this post - these resources are available to both participants from the conference and anyone who couldn’t make it to the session.

BEHIND THE SCENES OF PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING
Case studies
Nicole Hunter
Case Study: Jury shapes democracy in Geelong

The Democracy in Geelong (Geelong Citizens’ Jury) project was a ground-breaking engagement process – no other community had ever had the chance to influence its council’s structure to this extent.

Case Study: Jury shapes democracy in Geelong

Jane Lovejoy

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DEMOCRACY BEYOND ELECTIONS: 'HOW TO' GUIDE PUBLISHED

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DEMOCRACY BEYOND ELECTIONS: 'HOW TO' GUIDE PUBLISHED

The newDemocracy Foundation (nDF) has published the Democracy Beyond Elections handbook – a guide to doing democracy differently.   MosaicLab was honoured to be a contributor to this rich, deliberative democracy resource.

DELIBERATION INNOVATION: EVENT WRAP-UP

DELIBERATION INNOVATION: EVENT WRAP-UP

We love connecting with people across the industry, sharing knowledge and supporting learning.  So, when we heard that Dr. Brett Hennig (the Sortition Foundation) would be in Melbourne, we jumped at the chance to build an event around his visit.  The result was a free Deliberation Innovation & Public Sector Engagement event, which incorporated both an afternoon of deliberation training for government and an evening of engaging conversation.

FREE EVENT! DELIBERATION INNOVATION & PUBLIC SECTOR ENGAGEMENT

FREE EVENT! DELIBERATION INNOVATION & PUBLIC SECTOR ENGAGEMENT

Join us in for a day of FREE training, learning, networking and sharing in Melbourne on 12 December.

We’re hosting a jam-packed two-part event: Deliberation 101 Training for Government , followed by an Engaging Evening of conversation with with Dr. Brett Hennig (the Sortition Foundation UK) and Louisa Curry (Local Government Victoria).

The event will explore an engagement dilemma facing the public sector - how to engage effectively against a backdrop of new expectations and requirements, including legislative reform. It’s an opportunity to learn from international and Australian experiences, and consider how your organisation could engage better in a changing world.

Registrations are now open and places are very limited, so be sure to secure your spot ASAP.

CONFERENCE FOR THE FACILITATION COMMUNITY

CONFERENCE FOR THE FACILITATION COMMUNITY

The 2018 Australasian Facilitators Newtwork (AFN) conference will reflect the organisation’s intention to to reflect on and celebrate the journey and legacy of its facilitation community.

Join facilitators from Australia, New Zealand, South East Asia and the Pacific for a celebration of diversity - diversity of people, perspectives and practices.

DILEMMA DISCUSSED: REPRESENTATIVE VIEWS

DILEMMA DISCUSSED: REPRESENTATIVE VIEWS

Today, with the help of a few guest experts, we’re responding to a subscriber participation dilemma.  It’s an issue that has been put forward by several subscribers to our e-newsletter the Discussion as their ‘biggest community engagement challenge’.

Today’s challenge is representative views: how to ensure you’re hearing from people that are proportional to and reflective of the wider community or stakeholders you’re trying to engage with. 

What works? Democracy in Australia and beyond

What works? Democracy in Australia and beyond

MosaicLab's co-founder Nicole Hunter recently took part on a panel of esteemed guests  discussing potential futures for democracy across Australia and the World.  The panel formed part of the University of Canberra Institute for Governance and Policy Analysis (IGPA) Smart Governance Conversation on Desirable Futures series. 

The evening saw a very interesting conversation take place around democracy in Australia and beyond and ideas for doing it differently in the future.   If you weren't lucky enough to make it on the evening, today we're sharing the official video of the panel discussion. 

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Participatory democracy & THE PUBLIC SECTOR: IDEAS AND Q&A

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Participatory democracy & THE PUBLIC SECTOR: IDEAS AND Q&A

The 'Participatory Democracy - Exploring Experiences' session at the IPAA Public Sector Week 2017 featured active, experiential learning and an interactive discussion with a group of diverse panellists. 

Attendees experienced a mini, deliberative discussion, answering the question: 'what are the biggest challenges facing the public sector when it comes to gaining trust in the community?'.   The group then engaged in an energetic Q&A with the panel which included specialist consultants and public sector representatives with extensive experience in using deliberative engagement to help tackle major public policy challenges.

Facilitated by MosaicLab, the workshop saw great ideas generated and invaluable knowledge shared.  The discussion was relevant to anyone working in the public sector (and beyond), so, today we're sharing a snapshot of the ideas generated and a summary of the Q&A discussion - a fabulous, free resource for anyone interested in quality engagement or participatory processes. 

Upcoming events & opportunities across Aus

Upcoming events & opportunities across Aus

The second half of 2017 is shaping up to be very busy for MosaicLab, with events left, right and centre.  In fact, we're so busy, we have created a new events page where you can peruse all of the events and training opportunities we are currently involved in or hosting. 

There's something for everyone, and, with events taking place from coast to coast, we're looking forward to connecting with old friends and new faces right across Australia.  

From the engagement practitioner who wants to hone their skills, to those wanting to champion quality engagement in their organisations.  From those looking to network and connect right through to those simply interested in a conversation around 'doing democracy differently.  We'd love to see you there. 

First look: New immersive deliberation training experience

First look: New immersive deliberation training experience

Earlier this year, MosaicLab trialled an exciting new training concept based on participatory learning.    Hosted by Public Libraries Victoria Network and State Library of Victoria and facilitated by MosaicLab, the experience gave participants an in-depth understanding of, insights into and skills in deliberative engagement.

Following foundational engagement training sessions, and some online learning and discussion, PLVN representatives from across the State came together to experience a mini (but very real), 2-day deliberative process.

This exciting, in-depth training opportunity is now available for other organisations to experience.