Our Way(s) to Community Leadership Revitalisation
How Do We Define Commonground Initiatives?
Our name makes intentional space for shared grounds and multiple pathways for change.
We see our organisation as more than just an activism organisation—we like to think of our space as a collective incubator for new and transformative practices of community participation. We create space for experimentation, learning, and co-creation, where local groups can test and refine strategies that foster deeper civic engagement and democratic action.
As an ecosystem connector, we bring together local civil society organisations, community leaders, and informal citizen groups across underserved areas in the Mediterranean, facilitating collaboration, mutual capacity building, and collective action.
We also act as a capacity-building catalyst, curating, documenting, and exchanging effective practices and strategies for community-led impact. Through regular exchanges, roundtables and peer-to-peer programs, we want to make lessons learned from local movements reach the mainstream and ensure that these are not siloed but instead inform and inspire broader democratic renewal efforts.
Beyond knowledge-sharing, we want to lead from the frontlines, positioning as a thought partner and advocate, working with—not just for—groups striving for democratic shifts in their contexts. We acknowledge our privileged position of a registered organisation with skills and experience in the nonprofit space and want to use this as a tool to recalibrate power and resources towards less privileged groups and communities.
Finally, we think of our work as a playground for innovation, a space to pilot nontraditional, creative, and experimental approaches. Diverse partners from diverse ecosystems can join and co-work with us to build inclusive, democratic, and sustainable futures. We believe that democracy is not static—it evolves with the people who shape it.
Our Approaches
Our approach is rooted in fostering inclusive, community-driven change through diverse and creative methodologies.
We engage in participatory space-making activities that help communities develop collective offers, moments and spaces that make people come together and empower citizens to shape their environments collaboratively.
Through community gatherings and organising strategies, we co-design opportunities for dialogue, connection, and collective action.
We use traditional research tools but make them participatory and community-involving. We experiment with citizen science projects to encourage local involvement in research and data collection, ensuring that knowledge is accessible and reflective of lived experiences.
While we support traditional tools, we also advocate for embracing nontraditional methodologies grounded in art, culture, and technology. We use creative expression and innovation frameworks as tools for engagement and social transformation.
Additionally, we develop programs for mutual capacity-building, fostering reciprocal learning and shared growth with our partner organisations and groups.
Our skill-building workshops equip individuals with practical tools and knowledge, strengthening community resilience and agency.