Using the Living Lab Methodology to Build Inclusive Communities: A Participatory Action Research

Living Labs (LLs) have spread as a methodology for the development of innovative perspectives. It has mainly been used in the Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) field, but less in the social sciences. The present study deepens the use of this methodology in the psychosocial field within the EU-project YouCount, with the aim of developing innovative processes enhancing youth social inclusion. Participants of the LL were 30 Italian citizens aged between 22 and 73 (M = 31.63; SD = 11.67). 14 were referents of local associations and social groups, representing seven different realities dealing with migratory processes and social inclusion issues; the remaining participants were young local and migrant youths civically and socially active. During the LL, several participatory methodologies (e.g., World Café, Co-design sessions, video-interviews, video-making) were used to facilitate the unfolding of social innovation and collaborative processes among participants. Through this path, new ways of living together in the community emerged, based on the reciprocal acknowledgment and collaboration among participants for the bottom-up development of common planning aimed at supporting local services.