In Ensanshahr, we seek to increase the power of individuals, groups, and communities to impact what is influencing their lives and living environment. To reach this goal, we provide them with the embeddedness to collectively analyse their situation, prioritise their issues and requirements, define and implement actions concerning their capacity and resources, and continuously revise the process.

We expect this "Participatory Learning and Action" will assist individuals, groups and communities in developing their capacity and capability, giving them more control over their living environment. We believe that this practice will make individuals, groups, and communities key practicians of the plans and changes, through which their living qualities will improve.

We name Ensanshahr (HumanCity in Persian) to emphasise human beings and their relationship to the environment they live in. This environment includes any human society, whether a city, village, or community framed in each society.

Every human being who wishes a change in his/her living place, whether a school, village, or neighbourhood, could fall within our scope of work.

We consider a process more important than the output.

• We try to maximise transparency and responsibility in our practices to our stakeholders, including communities.
• We do our best to flow "participation" in our internal and external interactions.
• Any individual, group, or community, who is influenced by our plans, decisions, and works, has the right to impact on them.
• We believe in the capacities and capabilities of individuals, groups, or communities and take them into account in our plans.
• We consider complexities and challenges as a chance to learn.
• We don't assume the end of a project as the end of the process and work. Therefore, we watch our works' side effects.

Ensanshahr Institute was born in 2008 to contribute to the change of people's vision about their environment. The Human and his/her desirable means of impacting their environment was the core concern of our institute.

In the late 1990s, the environment and the issues influencing the quality of lives of human beings was growing as a concern of the society, forming numerous groups. Such groups believed (and still believe) that environmental degradation root in a lack of public awareness, due legislation, and sufficient observation. Therefore, most such groups have chosen "educational" and "protection" approaches to tackle environmental problems. Ensanshahr, regarding its members' experiences in environmental education, implemented plans with an educational approach to share awareness about the environment through society. 

After almost three years, Ensanshahr got familiar with the "participatory approach and methodology" through its projects and activities. This was a chance for us to know that the plans should be complying with people's real and actual requirements, and they should play the leading role in planning, implementing, and evaluating what has an impact on them. Then, we revised our activities, defining a gap in our approach. We decided to concentrate on people and key stakeholders' roles in controlling resources and the power of impact instead of education and awareness sharing.

This paradigm change enabled us to change our activities in compliance with the participatory approach gradually. We have done our best to involve the key stakeholders in processes, recognising their reality, and improve our flexibility to change and modify the plans. 

Now, we are generally concentrating on Capacity Development projects.

Regarding our mission and services, all groups and bodies that have interaction with individuals, groups, and communities, or have plans for capacity development for them, would be our clients:

• Government organisations and bodies who wish to improve communities' impact on their plans and projects;
• Public bodies, such as municipalities and their subordinates, whose activities are related to people's lives;
• Local bodies, such as urban, rural, and local councils;
• Public or private companies and institutions which seek ideas and plans for their social responsibilities;
• Non-Government Organisations and projects who need support and cooperation for capacity development and empowerment of local communities;
• Universities, schools, and institutions who want to enhance citizens' roles and group working skills among children, teenagers, and youth;
• Institutions, organisations, and companies that need improvement of group working and participation of their members and staff in processes and issues related to their work.