**6. Conclusions**

Civic involvement seems to be particularly pronounced when no very big decisions have to be made. For this context, there is a wealth of techniques and procedures that can be unpacked from the method tool kit. However, this idea of "always just being asked" (and, unfortunately, often without any consequences) does not necessarily promote participation in the long run.

A successful example of participation in terms of more concrete, manageable decisions include (in Germany, but similarly also in other countries) financial disposal funds, e.g., in the context of social district development. Here, the inhabitants of disadvantaged districts and neighborhoods can co-decide which money can be spent for what and, above all, how quickly and unbureaucratically this can be done (e.g., in the design of building entrances). This is where the particular success of this model lies. This example also shows that it is not so much a fundamental question of power that motivates those involved but, rather, the unbureaucratic implementation of participatory programming.

According to the Ottawa Charter and the actors and scientists who refer to it, civic involvement and participation are considered normative "must have" in communitybased health promotion and prevention. No objection can be made to this normative requirement. It is simply that participation should not be elevated from norm to dogma. Not everything that comes from the top is bad just because it comes from the top (see, for example, the programs of urban social development!). Furthermore, participation must not become an end in itself, in the sense that it is practiced but has no consequences. This can then lead to frustration and disappointment and destroy the confidence that has already been built up. It is quite fatal if procedures and methods of participation can ultimately be turned against those involved, with the result that, under the guise of quasi-democratic legitimation, interests can be enforced that a majority of the citizens involved do not have.
