On November 24, we held the second collective interpretation session within the framework of the Community Engagement Platform in Velilla Del Rio Carrión (Palencia, Spain). There, we shared with 19 representatives of local citizens the perceptions identified during the listening process, with the aim of generating interconnected responses towards a just transition of the territory.

In the listening process, in addition to traditional surveys and statistics, we also interviewed different agents of the ecosystem. Observing behaviors and digging into the stories and narratives in which the perception of a territory is expressed is key to getting to the bottom of the real concerns and needs of citizens and initiatives. From the gathered insights, we applied a series of parameters of analysis and brought patterns of metanarratives around challenges and opportunities to ethnographic “personas”. These personas are based on the narrative analysis. They are not merely based on demographic data or quantitative analysis: they represent unified perception, behavioral and thinking patterns collected in the 70 interviews conducted in these months. During the session, we shared these personas with the aim of verifying if the narratives identified correspond to reality. 

Most participants recognized the ideas and perceptions represented in the “personas”, and shared the need to break down certain barriers for driving change: “This is our problem, and we have to fight it” or “The first thing to do is to value the area and believe in ourselves”. The discussion also highlighted the value of the human and natural heritage of the territory and its potential towards the sustainable development of the region. Aslo, they talked about the need for greater institutional coordination, partnership, mutual support and assessing the initiatives of the local inhabitants.

Collective interpretation sessions are essential to jointly identify new areas of opportunity that respond to real perceptions and needs of the territory as a first attempt of co-creation.