Public Life and Participation

In the focus area «Public Life and Participation», the Institute of Social Work and Social Spaces at the OST - Ostschweizer Fachhochschule addresses the involvement of various groups in public life. The aim is to develop solution strategies together with you, in order to increase the participation opportunities for everyone.

In neighbourhood, community and youth work, as well as in village and urban development, social work is traditionally concerned with the participation of different groups in public life. In addition to social work, politically responsible, committed citizens and actors in the private sector also have an interest in ensuring that public life meets the needs of as many people as possible. This is because groups that participate in public life in different ways often have different interests and needs, which can relate to specific places (squares, streets, facilities) or policy processes (developing a mission statement, strategy, concept, etc.), for example.

Our services

We analyse the characteristics and interrelationships of public life and evaluate them together with the participants at local level. The aim of our research, development and consulting projects is to develop solution strategies for increasing the participation opportunities for everyone.