Summary Overview of the Engagement Tool/Innovation:
This toolkit (living lab) takes place over several stages of the project, and its aim is to achieve ‘greater citizen participation, elaboration of a medium and long-term regional/local plan, and sharing risks and knowledge, as all are working towards a common objective, information flows, and tangible and intangible resources are common to all’.
Early on in the project, UGN would consult with local businesses, organisations and government, however, as the process develops the public will be invited to take part in different workshops and events.
Role in decision-making:
UGN would involve different actors, ranging from companies, organisations, and local government in the early stages, as well as to gain funding for the process. All of these groups would have a say on the project as to ensure their money is being spent in a desirable way. At a later stage, the public will also be involved in voicing their opinions and ideas on the project, however, this will be towards the end of the design phase.
Consulting and collaborating: process involves many different actors, including businesses, local communities, and experts
Hard to reach groups: UGN are able to invite and encourage groups from different backgrounds to take part
Building trust with communities: the public are at the heart of this toolkit, with the project involving them as well as ensuring that all developments have their best interests taken into account
Suitable for:
The tool is used through the entirety of a project and can be used and projects ranging from small scale to large scale ones. It would be most suitable for projects which require more financial backing, as one of its stages focuses on securing this from the relevant parties.
HOW TO DO IT:
The tool is broken down into several stages:
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Pre-project phase is a low-intensive stage moving back and forth between all the sectors, tasting, and sensing and talking, making the conception and the inception of the project rise
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The second step is marked by the approval of financing from major funders. At this point, the project is started once again; kicked off by a financed abstraction, not unlike what might happen in a product driven innovation process
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In the next stage the project group and partners invite more actors in to take part in lab processes and workshops in the local setting (place). This step took place in community centres, or in nature education and research institutions –
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From here the final look of the project would be finalised with the ideas of local communities kept in mind
Format:
In person – Ideally, the meetings would be held in person, however, if needed they could also be hosted online for those unable to attend.
Workshops carried out towards the end of the project would have to be done in person.
Groups who would benefit:
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BUSINESSES
This tool would allow local businesses to give back to the community by being involved from an early stage on a project
FRIENDS OF
PARKS
The tool provides an opportunity to give Friends of parks a further say on projects, as it is something which could easily be incorporated into one of their meetings when UGN opens the project up to the public towards the end
UNDER-
REPRESENTED
GROUPS
The tool could also easily incorporate a number of underrepresented groups such as, BME and disabled communities, as they could target these groups for workshops and adapt the activity to make it more accessible for them. Furthermore, the project brief which would be designed early on, could be tailored to ensure that the project impacts them the most.
UGN would need to provide an area for meetings throughout the process, it is also recommended that when the process is opened to the public, UGN will host meetings and workshops at local centres which are convenient for the communities, such as town halls.
This process will be carried out of a long period of time, as it will encompass the entire project.
Staff will be needed for the running of meetings and corresponding to the main actors established at the start of the process. They would also be needed for running meetings and workshops for the public to attend.
ADVANTAGES
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Businesses are given the chance to work on the project
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Community engagement
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Chance at acquiring funding
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Relationship building with communities, government and other groups
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Fits with UGN’s ethos of partnering with business and other voluntary and charity sector organisations.
CHALLENGES
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Too many actors may make it hard to have a clear plan and goal
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Public may feel like their voices are not as important as those providing funding
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With many partners the engagement may become too complex.
