Start of the assemblies with the residents

The first assembly with the residents of the BETA Space was held on February 26, 2025. This is a regular meeting space between the young residents and the Coboi lab team where the project’s latest news is shared, progress is taken and, above all, the next actions are decided together .

The assemblies did not come out of nowhere. During the first months, Coboi lab opted for a fertile observation phase, without intervening, to understand the dynamics and real needs of the residents. This phase was completed with individual interviews at the end of the first quarter. A conclusion emerged from that process: a stable channel of dialogue was needed and, for this reason, it was agreed that there would be a meeting between the team and the residents every month.

The purpose of the assemblies is to create an open space where mutual feedback can be received, future actions can be planned and implemented by common agreement. In essence, they seek to foster co-responsibility and joint decision-making . The challenge, however, was no less: to ensure that everyone could express themselves and that decisions were truly collective.

Coboi lab leads assemblies with a simple but effective methodology:

• A flexible agenda , open to adding new topics.
• Open space for interventions by all residents.
• A participative dynamic with record of decisions to monitor them.

In this first meeting, a summary of what had been done up to that point was made, the format of the BETApills and the residents’ participation in the BETAfest were discussed, and time was given for them to express their opinions and needs. The second assembly, on March 25, and the third, on May 28, maintained the same spirit. The monthly frequency allows the project to be maintained, agreements to be monitored and actions to be adapted to the real pace of the residents and their projects. The decisions are recorded, so that each assembly starts from where the previous one left off.

The results were quickly noticeable:

1. The BETApills were born, jointly decided training capsules.
2. New collaborative projects emerged between residents .
3. A collaborative project was promoted between residents accompanied by the Coboi lab team .
4. It increased the commitment and involvement of the participants.

The assemblies reflect one of the great lessons of the project: moving from assistance to co-responsibility . The community is not programmed, it is cared for, and meeting regularly is the best way to do it.

Links of interest

• Posting the first assembly on Instagram
• Residencies in the BETA Space