Scaling Digital Participation for Governments
Free & open digital technologies are essential as only an open and accountable code can give citizens the appropriate levels of trust when expressing their opinions. Since 2016, Decidim has been the reference civic tech for free and open digital participation.
The versatility and modularity of the tool and its ever-growing community have made it a powerful open-source civic tech that enables new forms of shared governance. However, managing Decidim platforms can be complex, requiring technical expertise and resources. Governments can play a role by providing simplified access to Decidim to its users through Voca.
What is Voca?
Voca is a civic tech solution that simplifies Decidim deployment by empowering seamless set-up and management of Decidim platforms through a web-based application. What sets VOCA apart is its user-friendly approach, making it an ideal tool for governments seeking to offer access to the power of Decidim without the technical complexities. With Voca governments can distribute on-demand Decidim to agencies, local authorities, and civil society.
Let's explore some of the key features that make VOCA a powerful asset for governments wanting to enable their stakeholders to work with open-source digital participation platforms:
1. One-Click Open Source Digital Participation
With VOCA, government agencies can effortlessly launch and configure Decidim platforms directly from their servers. This streamlines the setup process, eliminating the need for extensive technical knowledge. VOCA's intuitive interface ensures that the government team can have Decidim up and running quickly, enabling users to focus on crafting impactful participation cycles rather than grappling with installation challenges.
2. Customized Participation Templates
VOCA gives access to all necessary modules of Decidim allowing for the required level of visual and technical customization. VOCA introduces a templating system that simplifies the process of creating and configuring Decidim platforms. Users can develop templates that encapsulate their preferred settings, structures, and customizations. These templates can then be easily applied to new platforms, saving time and effort. Templates can help reproduce participation frameworks such as Participatory Budgets, Climate Assemblies, Citizen’s Debates, and other Participatory Processes.
3. Support and Maintenance
Voca is led and managed by Octree in Geneva, Switzerland. Out of the box, Voca comes with technical assistance, including tier 2 and 3 support. Octree also works with partners across the world to offer consulting services on participation from providers as closely as possible to the users. The application's monitoring capabilities ensure that participation platforms remain active and functional, with backups and incident resolution mechanisms in place. This level of support allows your team to manage sets of platforms, while users can focus on participation.
4. Decentralised and Accessible
By simplifying Decidim management, the application promotes accessibility to open governance practices. Government agencies, local authorities, or civil society organizations can now leverage Decidim's capabilities by requesting the deployment of platforms to their government without being hindered by technical complexities. This democratization of citizen engagement empowers governments to foster a more inclusive and participatory democracy.
A New Era for Digital Participation
As governments worldwide strive to enhance citizen engagement and transparency, Voca emerges as a catalyst for change. By simplifying the management of Decidim platforms, Voca empowers the government to give access on demand to participatory platforms. With Voca governments can offer nationwide access to Decidim to a range of state, local, and private actors. This approach allows the government to build strategies to multiply opportunities for meaningful citizen interactions and impactful policy development. This dynamic software transforms Decidim into a strategic tool for open governance, propelling governments toward a more responsive and inclusive future.
To explore how Voca can elevate your government's citizen engagement initiatives, reach out to guillaume@octree.ch.
— Guillaume for Voca
