Participate

Participate is a development consulting firm specializing in participation. We provide consulting for both individuals and organizations who are looking to implement or strengthen participatory approach in their social change practices. We also hold a fellowship program targeted at Fresh Graduates who want to gain skills relevant to works in the Development sector, as well as Professionals who are starting or re-starting their career in the Development world and looking to upskilling or reskilling –skills of which will have participation at their core. Founded in 2021, Participate had already run 150+ consulting hours and over 20+ clients. Why do we exist? We believe a systemic problem requires a systemic solution. Participate exists to break silos among stakeholders/disciplines/methodologies so that we can work together toward meaningful change. We value participation as a key enabler of change, by noting that positive change in a community doesn’t stop at what is visible, but also extends to what is felt and experienced. We orient our work to achieve three main purposes: - To establish a support ecosystem for young activists/community leaders to achieve their intended change - To nurture a participative mindset in creating change - To enable cross-sector collaboration in mainstreaming participation in change programs. Our Approach Our work uses a collaborative and cyclical learning approach adapted from the Participatory Action Research (PAR) method in social change. We also explore, combine and adapt our methodologies to accommodate people’s various ways of knowing in understanding change. This unique approach of our own —called it ‘xChange’ —ensures the creation of a shared understanding between social change practitioners and the community as the foundation of a change process.