Six key truths about co-creation

Many NGOs from the Global North are starting to embrace co-creation as a way of shifting power back to communities. But, as Ruth Mileham from Peace Direct writes, there is no one-size-fits-all model of co-creation. Co-creation requires embracing discomfort, uncertainty and, ultimately, human connection.

With growing global instability, escalating conflict and increasing humanitarian crises, we as a sector must question our default ways of working and commit to different approaches. Co-creation has emerged as one such approach, based on dialogue, creativity and collaboration. Effective co-creation demonstrates how collaboration and decolonising principles can lay a strong foundation for peacebuilding and wider humanitarian work. 

Over the past three years, ten local peacebuilders from different contexts have come together to shape Peace Starts Here, a global movement for local peacebuilders. In the past, many campaigns focused on singular issues or contexts, whilst struggling to reach a wider, global audience. For this campaign, co-creation was the only way to remain true to the goal of building a global movement for local peacebuilders, by local peacebuilders. It created space for shared ownership, mutual learning and longer-term thinking. 

True co-creation is much more than a trend or simply “participation.” It is a shared space that requires time, flexibility and commitment. The result is genuine collaboration, rooted in trust and respect. It is a tool that challenges ways of working that have exacerbated colonial stereotypes within the sector and kept local actors at the margins. 

Whilst not a definitive guide to co-creation, these are six key truths that emerged through Peace Starts Here’s co-creation process: 

1. Human connection was our most valuable early investment

The importance of bonding cannot be understated. Taking time to connect with everyone involved creates genuine trust. This allows for feelings of hierarchy or uncertainty to dissolve and makes way for creating something truly shared. Co-creating a space that encourages collective action, particularly across time zones and busy schedules, is not easy. Yet, during some of the most turbulent periods of the past few years, this bond brought comfort and hope. Luis, a campaign co-creator from Venezuela, says that “it helped me to reduce the feeling of isolation, because it allowed me to gain awareness on how other social leaders and peacebuilders face the same circumstances around the world.”

2. It’s important not to rush to a consensus 

Rushing consensus only further instils an idea that someone is ‘leading’ the process. Instead of voting on outcomes, trust that through open and honest conversations, the right decision will emerge. Agreements reached this way tend to be stronger and more durable. One of the campaign co-creators, Grace, explains that “what often feels deeply personal is often profoundly collective.” Respecting the bonds that have been built means building in time for the group to reach an agreement. 

3. Discomfort is a sign that the process is working

Co-creation is not an entirely smooth process and discomfort is a sign that the process is working. There will be moments of disagreement, where progress feels slow, or where conversations are uncomfortable. Though such moments are hard to navigate, they lead to greater clarity and only add to the strength of the product co-created. By acknowledging differences in perspectives and contexts, you ensure the co-created product represents the voices of those individuals and communities you intend to reach.

4. We are not there to lead

The role of a Global North actor in this space is not to direct or lead, but to host and resource. The trust built must go both ways, which means letting go of control and supporting the group to decide where to go next. Current global instability should be a time for Global North actors to commit to change and reform; co-creation can be an effective method of prioritising the efforts of local organisations and actors over those of international non-governmental organisations.

5. There are limitations to co-creation

Co-creation is not a ‘fix all’ tool. Labelling a process as co-created does not undo centuries of inequality and colonial legacies. Rather, co-creation can help Global North institutions to centre local actors and resist the ingrained role usually taken by international organisations. Co-creating is not a service provided by INGOs, but a step toward changing our sector and giving back a space that was not ours in the first place. Opening collaborative spaces like this helps actively shift power and encourages action over words. Diana, a campaign co-creator from Jordan, expressed her appreciation for Peace Direct’s commitment to co-creation: “I especially appreciate how much effort and investment was put into tangibly valuing our work, the labour of voices for peace, our contextualised knowledge and reach.”

6. There is no ‘one size fits all’ model to co-creation

In letting go of control, co-creation also needs flexibility, and to allow for adjustments. There is not one way to co-create, and different approaches are needed to support the outcome. This might mean bringing in external expertise to develop team bonds or having one-on-one conversations with people in the group to complete tasks. With no strict template to follow, co-creation allows you to test assumptions and ideas without the stress of traditional funding or programmatic restrictions. This works through balancing flexible structure with productive uncertainty and shifting the dial according to the needs of the group.

Co-creation invites Global North organisations and funders to step back. To support when invited and to contribute to the creation of a safe space in which local actors can lead. If our sector is serious about shifting power and supporting local actors to lead, co-creation must be more than a convenient buzzword. It is not about inviting people in; it is about stepping back and centring those best placed to lead.

Ruth Mileham is Senior Content and Campaigns Officer at Peace Direct