<aside> 💡 This is a background description of MethodKit for Society & Politics.
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Last three and a half years I have been researching the job of being a prime minister (or a dictator) - basically what it is to govern a nation. With political participation at an all-time low, fewer and fewer people who see politics as an option. Both parties, schools and teachers need ways to discuss the society we want. Every kid should be given the chance to think about what it means to take care of the country/city/neighborhood, getting to understanding the system. Feel that you’re allowed to envision a new society, a future nation (or non-nation). I guess most people need to be shown the way, that is possible for them to think in those terms, opening new perspectives at a young age. We need to discuss this.
Even parties themselves seem to have a hard time including people in discussing society, even with their own party members. And it seems to be even harder to paint a picture of a Future Sweden. The importance of getting more people included in a scene that is fairly homogeneous.
Looking back, I remember that in civics class we often got into some detail of how something worked, eg. how propositions were passed around between x and y part of the parliament. I learned a lot but we never really talked about how everything fits together. The big picture was never given on a silver plate, (not even a plastic tray). We spoke little about the society we wanted in class, at least not inside the classroom.
The past years I had the privilege to collaborate with ‣ on MethodKit for Cities. On architecture, urban planning and how life in urban areas look like. Through that work, I got to meet so many interesting people, who think about the big picture. The cities in which we live, where many architects, politicians and urban planners believe themselves to be the only domain experts. Even though cities are the canvas where most people in the world live, much of the really interesting topics about life and our society is discussed from a national/societal point of view. (as most important decisions are made on a national level based on national elections).
2015 I started defining and looking on debates, breaking down what areas they speak about. I checked how different governments present themselves online and how public servants see it. Also what parties talk about in their party platforms. Overhearing people on the bus, or being with friends discussing something, or numerous discussion on FB over the whole range. In those discussions, we address different perspectives on society.
/Ola Möller, Founder of MethodKit and the kit for Society & Politics.