How FCI uses participatory practices to develop solutions
Technology promises to transform the social safety net with unprecedented reach and efficiency. Yet availability is not the same as accessibility. True effectiveness depends on meeting the unique needs of individuals with deep understanding of the barriers they face: barriers that are cultural, linguistic, economic, and experiential, shaped by trauma, discrimination, and countless factors that generic solutions routinely fail to address.
At Future Communities Institute, we believe this gap is not inevitable. Our work is grounded in the principle: technology implementation within vulnerable communities must be designed for them, by them.
Why Participation Matters
Well-intentioned solutions often miss the mark because they're designed without the people most affected. The people closest to an issue hold invaluable insight into solving it. When we invite community members to share knowledge, shape decisions, and co-create solutions, we don't just build better programs. We shift power, honor lived experience, and create lasting change.
Lived Experience as Expertise
Those experiencing systemic challenges hold essential knowledge that others don't have. If our goal is empowerment and justice, we must attend first to their experience: not only how they see barriers, but the solutions they envision. We bring methodological skills to help communities formulate and clarify solutions, but communities co-create the agenda.
The Spectrum of Participation
Participation isn't one-size-fits-all. One of the many frameworks we engage with is IAP2 Spectrum of Participation, recognizing that each project requires a different level of involvement. Some projects call for us to inform by sharing clear, accessible information. Others require us to consult by seeking feedback to guide decisions, involve by working directly with communities to reflect their priorities, or collaborate by partnering as co-creators. The approach we take depends on the project's scope, resources, and community capacity.
What matters is clarity. We explicitly articulate the degree of influence community members will have in each initiative. We're intentional about what makes sense for each project and honest when constraints limit what's possible.
Reciprocity in Practice
When communities grant us their time, trust, and knowledge, we must give something meaningful in return. This includes accessible documentation that communities can use for ongoing work, findings returned in formats they can actually use, frameworks and tools for advocacy and decision-making, skills training so communities can continue the work independently, and honoring trust with confidentiality and ethical responsibility.
Our Commitment
We recognize that participatory practices are more complex, time-consuming, and resource-intensive than traditional approaches. They require humility and moving at the speed of trust. Yet this approach is also more effective, sustainable, and just.
When communities help design solutions meant to serve them, those solutions actually work. When people with lived experience guide evaluation, we measure what truly matters. When we build with communities rather than for them, we create not just better technology, but stronger, more empowered communities capable of shaping their own futures.