Knowledge centre for guidance and advice
Our offer
Citizen participation experts
Let us guide you with all of our citizen participation functionalities. A team of experts will assist you with the design, implementation and analysis of each citizen participation project.
Role of our citizen participation expert
- Draw up an operational plan
- Set up appropriate collaborations
- Actively coordinate project
- Report results
Design and guidance of trajectory
- 1 Intake conversation
- 2 Draw up campaign
- 3 Launch project
- 4 Debrief
Community worker
You can call on our community workers to stimulate social cohesion. These experts are present within the neighbourhood and actively engage members of the local community.
Role of our community worker
- Physically present in the neighbourhood, couple of times per week
- Digitally present in the Hoplr neighbourhood
- Helps with questions from members of the local community
- Gives info sessions, workshops, trainings (e.g. for healthcare organisation)
- Organises activities (e.g. neighbourhood drink)
- Binding purpose for retail, elderly, young people,...
- Launches surveys and polls within the neighbourhood
Jonas De Meulenaere
Social capital and citizen engagement
- Design and guidance participation projects
- Environmental and impact analysis
- Knowledge dissemination neighbourhood network
Laura Geerts
Communication and content
- Inspiration and follow-up content plan
- Design and guidance communication projects
- Knowledge dissemination citizen communication
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Contact us for more information
Email: services@hoplr.com
Case studies
Hoplr in The Hague: results after a successful pilot
In 6 months time, over 4,100 households (12%) have registered in the 10 neighbourhoods that were selected for the Hoplr pilot in The Hague. Neighbours post an average of 100 messages and 730 comments per week, counting for a total of 66,000 interactions. 72% of the registered households visit Hoplr at least once per week.
Community building
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City of Bruges on Hoplr examples and numbers
Hoplr made its debut in the Venice of the North at the end of 2018: a pilot project in collaboration with the City of Bruges. 14 neighbourhoods are activated – which accounts for some 3,500 registered households, more than 5,000 messages and 45,000 responses. But what’s most noteworthy after a couple of months of Hoplr in Bruges? The engagement among citizens.
Community building
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Trailblazer municipality Olen enhances local community feeling
Olen was one of the very first municipalities to get started with our Service Dashboard, back in 2017. Their goal was to connect citizens, and enhance the local community feeling. Today, well over a third of all households are registered on Hoplr, and the municipality has become an expert in using the platform for relevant citizen communication.
Community care and inclusion
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Municipality Sint-Katelijne-Waver concludes successful participation project
Inhabitants of Sint-Katelijne-Waver were asked nine questions on Hoplr in July 2019. The questions covered various topics such as mobility, housing and environment. The project was an overwhelming success: 1,657 registered households cast a total of 2,207 votes and posted 190 additional comments. A total of about 5,600 households live in the municipality of Sint-Katelijne-Waver.
Citizen participation
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High engagement on first citizen participation project in Boechout
At the beginning of this year, the brand-new board of Boechout presented its new policy note to the city council. At least, a first version. The municipality gave its residents the opportunity to help shape the final policy note on the basis of 10 statements. Hoplr is community-driven and stimulates citizen engagement, making the online neighbourhood network an ideal platform for citizen participation.
Citizen participation
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Mechelen and Hoplr: where it all began
Mechelen, such a great city. The authentic setting, filled with culture, friendly people, picturesque squares, … But what makes it such an amazing place to us? It was the very first city to help build Hoplr’s future! Summer of 2016: a first contact with the department of Neighbourhood and Village Affairs is made. From the very start, it was clear to us that the City of Mechelen considers neighbourhood communication to be extremely important. By the time autumn arrived, we had already kicked off with a Hoplr pilot project.
Community building
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Neighbourhood communication: City of Antwerp and Noorderlijn
Roadworks happen all the time, but you have to admit, if you know about the detour beforehand, your week would start off a lot better. And that is why we believe it is essential that project developers communicate with the members of the neighbourhoods they operate in. In this article you will read why and how project developers such as the Flemish Government Agency for roads and traffic, Strabag, Revive, Cores development and Noorderlijn use Hoplr.
Citizen communication
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Documentation
Citizen participation:
Hoplr functionalities for citizen participation with the local community
Hoplr makes it easy for citizens to rely on each other and on the social capital of the local community. Social cohesion, offline meetings and local engagement are the basic requirements for achieving meaningful inclusion and citizen participation.
Positivity in neighbourhoods:
How we keep our communities positive and constructive
Social media lead to radicalisation. You often hear or read it. But why is that? Is it even true? And how do we make sure the Hoplr neighbourhoods remain positive? Traditional social media are focused on the individual. A feed tailored to one’s ideas and interests, and filled up with advertisements; it can lead to a distorted worldview.
Practical Examples:
Citizen communication through Hoplr
It’s Hoplr’s mission to bring neighbours closer together. But that’s not all we’re in for. By facilitating citizen communication, citizen participation and community care, we aim to bridge the gap between local governments and their citizens. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at which messages are most commonly posted by external parties, each accompanied by some real life examples.
Community care:
Inspiration and 10 practical tips to digitally stimmulate community care
An inclusive local community is one where neigbours know and take care of one another. As a community worker, you're looking for ways to stimulate social cohesion and care among members of the local community. Digital neighbourhood network Hoplr can undoubtedly be of help. Let us inspire you with these 10 practical tips.
Reaching citizens:
How municipalities are successfully extending their reach on Hoplr
In municipalities Boechout, Sint-Katelijne-Waver, Bornem, Schilde, Hove, Olen, Mechelen, Veurne, Ranst and Kalmthout, 30 to 40% of all households are registered on Hoplr. This is because some local governments consistently take actions to promote the neighbourhood network among citizens.
Vision
Local communities are at the centre of citizen participation
With Hoplr in your municipality, you strengthen engagement and involvement on a neighbourhood level. Social cohesion, offline meetings and local engagement are the basic requirements for achieving meaningful inclusion and citizen participation. It's all about dialogue, working together and even getting your hands dirty.
Move from reaching citizens to involving citizens. From communication to citizen participation. A modern municipality knows what's going on and listens to its citizens. This way, policy making can be tailor made to the needs of the municipality's inhabitants.
Hoplr shifts the focus from the individual to the local community. This way, we can get the silent majority involved. After all, an idea or initiative becomes valuable, only when it's carried by the entire community.
Hoplr makes it easy for citizens to rely on each other and on the social capital of the local community. For example, they use Hoplr to share information, to socialise, to organise activities, to find help with chores, and to exchange items.