Participatory Methods
Read this site inEspañol

Participatory BudgetingParticipatory DesignParticipatory Planning

Project bank

Project bank
Duration
From 90 to 120 minutes, depending on the number of projects and participants.
Participants
From 10 to 30 people, organized into small teams to develop and present projects.
Areas of application
Educación y formaciónDesarrollo comunitarioGestión organizacional y empresarialPlanificación urbana y ruralSalud y bienestar socialArte, cultura y creatividadSostenibilidad y medio ambientePolíticas públicas y gobernanzaInnovación y diseñoInvestigación y evaluaciónResolución de conflictosTecnología y entornos digitalesParticipación ciudadana y social
Participation level
InformaciónConsultaColaboraciónEmpoderamientoDecisión conjuntaGeneración de conocimientoIntercambio de perspectivas
Target audience
EducadoresFacilitadoresEstudiantesLíderes comunitariosONGs y colectivos socialesEquipos empresarialesFuncionarios públicosDiseñadores creativosInvestigadores
The project bank is a participatory activity where participants present and evaluate ideas or initiatives to receive resources or support. It simulates a bank where "projects" compete for symbolic funding, and participants take on roles such as proponents, investors, or evaluators. This approach promotes collective decision-making and the development of viable, well-founded proposals.

Preparation

  1. Define the purpose: Identify the goal of the project bank, such as prioritizing ideas, distributing resources, or generating collaborative proposals.
  2. Assign roles: Divide participants into roles:
    • Proponents: Present their projects.
    • Evaluators: Analyze and select projects.
    • Investors (optional): Allocate symbolic resources to projects.
  3. Prepare materials:
    • Forms or templates to describe projects.
    • Symbolic resources (coins, tokens, or points).
    • Physical or digital space for presentations.

Step-by-step instructions

  1. Introduction to the purpose
    • Explain the objective of the project bank and the roles each participant will play.
    • Present the basic rules for project presentations and resource allocation.
  2. Project development
    • Proponents work individually or in teams to develop their projects.
    • They may use templates to structure their proposals, including:
      • Problem or need: What issue does it aim to solve?
      • Objective: What does it seek to achieve?
      • Expected impact: What results are anticipated?
      • Required resources: What financial or symbolic support is needed?
  3. Presentation to the bank
    • Each proponent presents their project to the group (or a designated committee), explaining their proposal within a time limit (e.g., 3-5 minutes).
    • Evaluators or investors may ask questions to clarify any doubts.
  4. Evaluation and resource allocation
    • Evaluators rate projects based on predefined criteria (e.g., impact, feasibility, originality).
    • Optional: Investors allocate symbolic resources to the projects they find most important or promising.
  5. Analysis and feedback
    • Evaluators discuss the results and provide feedback to the proponents.
    • Selected or prioritized projects are announced.
  6. Closing and future planning
    • Facilitate a group reflection on the learnings from the activity.
    • Establish concrete steps to implement or support the selected projects.

Purpose

The purpose of the project bank is to foster the generation of innovative ideas, collaboration among participants, and informed decision-making regarding resource allocation. This activity promotes critical and strategic thinking, strengthening the feasibility of the presented projects.

Required materials

  • Paper and project templates.
  • Symbolic resources (tokens, coins, points).
  • Space for presentations (physical or digital).

Platforms

Practical recommendations

  • Clear criteria: Define the evaluation criteria beforehand (e.g., impact, feasibility, innovation).
  • Active facilitation: Guide teams during project development to ensure clarity and focus.
  • Constructive feedback: Emphasize the strengths of proposals and areas for improvement.
  • Documentation: Record results and conclusions to follow up on selected projects.