Public Dome Talks on Care and Community in Austria

Abstract

In cooperation with the European Public Sphere initiative by the IG-EuroVision, the Open Innovation in Science (OIS) Center of the Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft organized public Dome Talks as part of the Care Tour. Under the roof of the European Public Sphere Dome, a mobile geodesic cupola, various challenges relating to community health and care were discussed in public conversations. The Care Tour took place at five locations in Austria between June and September 2023. Each stop was hosted by one of the five projects of the OIS Impact Lab “Caring Communities for Future”, a transdisciplinary research hub that promotes participatory projects at the intersection of health promotion, urban and regional development, and social sciences. 

The aim of the Dome Talks was to better understand the needs of different caring communities by creating opportunities for participation as well as dialogue and interaction between civil society initiatives, municipal administrations, health care services, and research. The open nature of the Dome Talks proved to be an ideal format for exchange between different actors in society. The Dome Talks brought up various ideas for caring communities and highlighted inherent needs, including improving the precarious working conditions of migrant care workers, creating opportunities for family caregivers to connect with each other, experimenting with creative participatory methods, and adapting rural and urban public spaces for citizens and people with disabilities. In the long run, encouraging the dialogue between community members may indirectly foster sustainable caring communities that contribute to improving the wellbeing and health of citizens.