On January 22nd and 23rd, CO-SUSTAIN partners gathered in Turin for the project’s Kick-off Meeting. Held at the Luigi Einaudi Campus of UNITO, the event featured two enriching and fruitful days filled with plenary assemblies and group workshops.

Partners discussed how to frame the issues CO-SUSTAIN aims to address. How should we define democracy? What are its processes, aims, and necessary conditions? How does the climate imperative interact with democracy, and what are the associated opportunities and risks?

These questions will be explored throughout the project. Stay tuned to see how CO-SUSTAIN will tackle these critical topics!

Workshops also focused on discussing the theoretical framework CO-SUSTAIN will build upon and the methodologies it will utilize. Specifically, CO-SUSTAIN plans to employ a mixed methodology comprising (participatory) system mapping, institutional ethnography, participatory action research, and theory of change.

The diversity of disciplinary backgrounds and countries represented is a significant strength of the project. The Kick-off Meeting also provided a valuable opportunity to establish a “common language” among partners, which can bridge gaps yet value their diversity.

Don’t forget to check out a few pictures of the meeting below!