Amstelveen, a picturesque Dutch municipality neighboring Amsterdam, is a model for building a culture of engagement. The participation team’s focus on promoting engagement internally, clear roles, and successful deployment of their Go Vocal platform through training sessions and a “participation garage” have been instrumental in this process.
Amstelveen successfully established a central hub on the platform, known as the 'participation garage,' to provide staff with training resources, successful project examples, and feature information.
The city transitioned from having no dedicated engagement manager or established policy to having a robust strategy driven by a dedicated team and embraced by the entire organization.
By defining clear roles and responsibilities for participation projects, the team ensured consistent engagement practices, prevented misunderstandings, and streamlined project workflows across departments.
In 2019, Amstelveen introduced its Go Vocal engagement platform, marking the beginning of a significant transition for the municipality. At that time, there was no dedicated engagement manager or established policy in place.
An interim consultant was brought in to launch the online platform. Just before his departure, Sharon Snoek, the senior communications advisor for participation, stepped in with a crucial mission: to develop a participation vision that incorporated online engagement and weave it into a comprehensive strategy.
Sharon's initial challenge was to familiarize herself with the organization and its existing offline participation initiatives. She dedicated considerable time to building relationships with colleagues from various departments, aiming to understand their needs through hands-on experience.
Sharon explained, “I got to work analyzing what factors contribute to a successful participation approach and what doesn’t. Sometimes, I would receive a direct question about participation and dive right in. Other times, I would hear about a vague survey through informal channels and think, 'Why wasn’t this coordinated with me?' This process helped me gradually clarify the workflows and policies.”
Anticipating a new local law mandating greater community engagement in urban development projects, the demand for participation guidance soared. To meet this increased need, Sharon's team welcomed a new member, marking a significant milestone in their efforts.
Sharon: "We recognized the need to enhance internal awareness of participation and the potential of the Go Vocal platform. Through brainstorming sessions, we sought creative ways to inform and inspire our colleagues about the platform. This led to the concept of the participation garage."
The participation garage serves as a digital showcase on the participation platform, offering colleagues:
"After adding the participation garage on the platform, we launched an internal campaign to promote it and encourage colleagues to register," Sharon added. "This significantly boosted awareness and engagement with the platform."
The participation garage has proven to be a valuable tool for fostering internal adoption and raising awareness about participation. Multiple local governments in the US have adopted this approach to strengthen their own internal culture of engagement.
Sophie Zinn, Government Success Manager US
Recognizing that awareness alone wasn't enough, Sharon and her team also developed trainings. They adopted a two-pronged approach: general training sessions on engagement principles and tailored workshops for specific teams.
"Beyond basic training, we target teams that would benefit most from practical sessions. For example, we organized workshops for colleagues working on urban development. We've even joined their team meetings to reach more people and maximize impact."
During these sessions, Sharon and her team not only discuss policy but also inspire colleagues with concrete examples and interactive case studies. "This approach introduces the platform and demonstrates how to involve residents. We've found it very effective in motivating our colleagues," Sharon said.
Go Vocal also organizes inspiration sessions at customer sites to onboard new employees and showcase new features. Sharon added, "These sessions are always valuable. We always learn something for our own projects.”
Internal adoption of your participation platform is essential, but clear roles and responsibilities are equally important. This prevents misunderstandings, streamlines processes, and ensures a consistent approach to projects. Here's how Amstelveen does it:
Over the past five years, Sharon and her team have shaped Amstelveen's engagement strategy. What started as an individual role without clear responsibilities has evolved into a robust strategy, driven by a dedicated team and embraced by the entire organization.
Sharon shared, "Next year, we plan to measure the impact of our efforts of the past few years. While participation is still a learning process, I'm confident that our approach has improved the culture of engagement. This translates into successful projects with great outcomes."
Thanks to the Go Vocal platform and a focus on internal adoption, Amstelveen has successfully integrated digital engagement into its overall strategy. The participation garage and targeted training sessions have empowered teams to take ownership of their projects, leading to more effective, equitable, and inclusive engagement.
Ready to elevate your engagement projects with Go Vocal? Book a call with our experts today to explore our powerful platform's features.
Sören is a fervent tech enthusiast with a profound interest in politics and democratic innovation.He aims to share stories that inspire and drive impactful community engagement.
Sören Fillet is Go-to-Market Lead at Go Vocal and holds a master’s degree in public sector communications.
With 5+ years of experience in GovTech, Sören has developed a nuanced perspective on the challenges and best practices in democratic participation. He actively collaborates with experts in the field to organize industry events and stay at the forefront of trends and innovation.
In addition, Sören obtained a certificate from Innovation in Politics, further solidifying his expertise in innovative governance.
The South Holland city of Waddinxveen is the fastest-growing city in the Netherlands and today counts nearly 35,000 residents. 30% of them are under 25, and by 2050 that share will reach 40%. This demographic trend raised a pressing question for the city: how do you involve even the youngest residents in decisions about the future? Esther van Ellinkhuizen, staff member for cabinet affairs and child participation, explains how she does it.
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In Rijswijk, a municipality of around 57,000 residents in South Holland, lies a place with a remarkable history. At Hof van Sion, archaeologists discovered the remains of a monastery dating back to the 15th and 16th centuries. Today, Hof van Sion is part of RijswijkBuiten, a sustainable new neighborhood. When the municipality decided to create a new community meeting place there, it asked residents what they wanted to see. They shared their ideas online using an interactive map.
Located just outside Amsterdam, Amstelveen is working with residents to create a greener, more welcoming, and more inclusive city. Through its online participation platform, residents can help shape long-term plans for the city, contribute to the design of new neighborhoods, and share ideas for smaller improvements that can make a visible difference in everyday life.
