SoliDARE Meet-up #3:From My idea to our idea: Creating group wisdom in ESC Programmes, 11th of June, 14:30 - 16:00 CET

Is bringing people together enough to create better ideas, stronger cooperation and shared ownership?

In European Solidarity Corps projects, we often work with groups: volunteering teams, project teams, hosting and sending organisations, mentors, coordinators and young people. We invite people into meetings, reflection spaces, preparation sessions and decision-making processes with the hope that different perspectives will lead to something better.

But group wisdom does not appear automatically just because people are in the same room or in the same Zoom call.

Many organisations working with volunteers rely on collaboration, participation and shared reflection. And yet, we have all probably experienced moments where a group discussion stays on the surface, where only some voices are heard, where ideas remain disconnected, or where people leave without a real sense of common direction.

This session is based on Elisabeth Purga’s master’s thesis on how group wisdom forms in adult collaborative settings. The research explores what helps a group move from individual ideas, opinions and experiences towards a shared understanding.

In this session, we’ll explore the following questions:

• Why bringing people together does not automatically create group wisdom?
• What conditions help people contribute meaningfully in group processes?
• How clear goals, diverse perspectives, psychological safety and process leadership shape collaboration?
• What it means to move from individual ideas towards shared ownership in volunteering teams and organisations?

If your organisation works with ESC volunteers, volunteering teams or collaborative project settings, this conversation is for you. Join us to explore how we can design meetings, reflection spaces and cooperation processes where people do not only participate, but where their contributions can become part of a shared and meaningful outcome.

Elisabeth Purga is a facilitator, trainer and educator from Estonia. Her work focuses on designing and leading participatory meetings, workshops and learning processes. She is also a member of the pool of Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps trainers of the Estonian National Agency and part of the facilitation team of SoliDARE 2026.