AIMS: The project “Co-creative RETHINKing for sustainable cities” (CRETHINK) addresses a need for capacity building adults within the public sector and in civil society for cooperating and co-creating shared solutions to societal challenges in European communities. The project aims to support adult learners within the public sector and in civil society in gaining competences within the area of citizen competence and concrete methods and tools for co-creation and cross-sector cooperation towards sustainable development and complex problem solving. This in order to foster citizens’ active participation and influence in the local community and society. The up-skilling of public employees will improve their ability to enhance citizen involvement in sustainable development. With the UN SDG 11 as subject matter, the project will develop an online toolbox and recommendations, for how to use co-creation as a means to implement the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) from 2015, locally in European cities and communities. The toolbox and recommendations will be available on an online platform, which will ensure open access and continuous up-skilling of citizens and public employees in Europe. The toolbox will contain training modules and curriculums, as well as sectors-specific guidelines and methods, specifying how to implement the UN SDGs in relation to important factors and challenges for co-creation and sustainability development. It will be in a format where individuals or groups can "self-learn" and implement the methods in their work or everyday activities. TARGET GROUPS: - Primary: Public employees working in the fields of city planning and other areas concerning climate adaptation and work with sustainability. - Primary: Adult citizens from civil society, who are committed in supporting their local community and supporting sustainable development. Special focus will be on involving and upskilling low-skilled or low-qualified adults, who have difficulties in gaining influence on society or engage in co-creation processes, such as migrants and refugees. - Secondary: Decision makers/policy officials, organizations, research institutes and educational institutions working with city development, community engagement, co-creation and sustainability. NUMBER AND PROFILE OF PARTICIPANTS: - 5 project managers from the 5 partners. - 10 researchers/developers from the partners (2 per partner). - 1 technician. - Core group of 16 local public and civil society actors, with the role of change agents in living lab and training activities. - 52 participants at the launching conference. - 160+ stakeholders reached through local dissemination events and local training in the living labs. ACTIVITIES: - 5 partner meetings - 2 international training workshops - Development of tools and recommendations through living lab activities in the 4 partner countries - 1 launching conference and 4 local dissemination events. METHODOLOGY: Through living lab activities in each of the partner countries, the partners will facilitate local case project activities that apply co-creation methods and tools in developing sustainability, in cooperation between public employees and civil society actors. Each case will focus on a specific local need around sustainability topics and in engaging vulnerable citizen groups in the activities. The methodology used in the testing and development activities in the living labs is centered around participatory, action-based learning in the form of living lab activities, where participants across nationalities, organizations and sector backgrounds develop and test methods through 4 different case projects. The Living Lab methodology takes research and development out of the laboratory and into the real world, engaging stakeholders, citizens, and end-users in the collaborative co-creation of solutions, actions and ideas for building sustainability and upskilling of citizens. RESULTS, IMPACT AND POTENTIAL LONG TERM BENEFITS: Citizens and public employees gain key citizen competences and skills that enable them to participate in co-creating processes and citizens to take on a more active role in their local society, thus fostering inclusion and strengthening of active citizenship. Public workers gain more skills and awareness of the importance of democratic co-creation and citizen involvement in sustainable development. The project feeds into an international debate on co-creation and citizen involvement, and offer practical tools and recommendations for skill-upgrading and co-creation as a means for implementation of the UN SDGs, which is on the European agenda. The project will build more sustainable ties between local authorities and civil society, creating stronger, more inclusive cities and regions, where the responsibility for community development is shared. Developing and testing methods on a Pan-European level ensures that the project provides results, applicable in other European contexts.
The project aims to support adult learners within the public sector and in civil society in gaining competences within the area of citizen competence and concrete methods and tools for co-creation and cross-sector cooperation towards sustainable development and complex problem solving. This in order to foster citizens’ active participation and influence in the local community and society. The up-skilling of public employees will improve their ability to enhance citizen involvement in sustainable development. TARGET GROUPS: - Primary: Public employees working in the fields of city planning and other areas concerning climate adaptation and work with sustainability. - Primary: Adult citizens from civil society, who are committed in supporting their local community and supporting sustainable development. Special focus will be on involving and upskilling low-skilled or low-qualified adults, who have difficulties in gaining influence on society or engage in co-creation processes, such as migrants and refugees. - Secondary: Decision makers/policy officials, organizations, research institutes and educational institutions working with city development, community engagement, co-creation and sustainability.
Cities across Europe are experiencing dramatic transformations and face complex and intricate challenges of water and soil pollution, migration, demographic changes and disruption of businesses and jobs. These are global problems recognized by UN in their call for action to create more “sustainable cities and communities” as goal 11 of the 17 SDGs, stating that some of the biggest challenges to city sustainability are inequality and ensuring equal participation and influence for all citizens (UN 2015). These problems calls for cross-sector collaboration and a high degree of ongoing co-creation within the local community. Research shows that lack of competences is one of the barriers to this kind of co-creation (Tortzen 2017). Based on the challenges and tasks foreseen in the future by both public sectors and civil society, the project adresses the need for: - Upskilling public authorities on how to involve and engage civil society in problem solving within sustainable city development. - Developing competences and skills among civil society, who lack the motivation or competences to gain influence on society or engage in co-creation processes. - Developing new democratic co-creation methods and find solutions to wicked problems.