After: Inheriting Legible Learning Pathways

Case: Brazil Participativo

Brazil Participativo is a national digital, Decidim participation platform used to support democratic participation processes in Brazil. In an interview with Leonardo Michalski for the playbook, he talked about how legible learning pathways can embed change after a process by creating continuity through care for “the next person”. 

Leonardo Michalskiis, a member of University of Brasília's Lab Livre, works on the technical side of making Brazil’s national Decidim project work. He describes his mission in simple terms: to “make other people’s lives easier,” especially for students and new team members. When sharing his experience, he started with when he first arrived on the team and described how some tasks were complicated and poorly documented, meaning knowledge lived in people’s heads and newcomers often had to learn by trial and error (Michalski, interview, February 17, 2026). In response, he began documenting processes, sharing learning materials with colleagues, and building a team culture where people study together rather than struggling alone (Michalski, interview, February 17, 2026).

Over time, more open and well-documented practices helped shift the team culture, and the time it took for a new person to contribute meaningfully fell from nearly a year to as little as one to two months (Michalski, interview, February 17, 2026). Here, learning, follow-up, and sustained capacity were not side benefits; they were the mechanisms through which change and continuity were embedded.

• Ensure outcomes are sustainable and non‑exploitative. Michalski points to the everyday reality of maintenance work: when things break, the burden often falls on a few people to respond immediately. By improving routines, the team reduces crisis labour and makes the work more sustainable, a necessary condition if communities, municipalities, and institutions are expected to rely on hybrid and digital infrastructures in the long term.

• Speak to the future (without extractive storytelling). This case does not rely on celebratory claims; it highlights concrete practices that can be carried forward: clearer documentation, shared learning habits, and faster onboarding for new contributors. These “after” artefacts become a form of collective memory that helps future teams avoid repeating overload and exclusion, and instead inherit a more legible, learnable pathway into participation.