How can the participation of the poor, the excluded and the unorganised be facilitated?
sues of vulnerable groups from their own perspective: i.e. the thematic assembly on citizenship (Campinas35) or the assembly on social inclusion (Caixas do Sul) where issues related to women and youth are addressed. Between 1997-2000 Barra Mansa (Children’s PB) and Icapui37 (Happy Day) were pioneers in introducing an actor-based vision from the perspective of children and youth. Currently this process is in various phases of experimentation and consolidation in several Brazilian cities: Pinheiral (Children’s PB), Recife (Children’s PB and Thematic Assembly on Youth Issues), São Paulo38 (Children’s PB), Goiania, Mundo Novo (Youth PB) and Alvorada (Youth PB, in 2004). In Belem (Brazil), the Congress of the City opened the Participatory Budget to historically excluded segments, in two ways: on the one hand, the process includes municipal congresses of young people, women, afro-Brazilians, indigenous groups, differently-abled people and homosexuals. On the other, delegates from each of the
