The paper describes the first implementation of the Unified Citizen Engagement Approach (UCEA), a newly developed design-oriented framework for citizen engagement in the energy transition. The preliminary testing and evaluation of several of its pathways in Groningen, the Netherlands, show that the role of design in the energy transition is not limited to the adoption of (co)design tools and methods. Instead, design should be integrated in the process in a more holistic way and on multiple levels, taking into account broader issues than energy, the maturity of local initiatives, and effective communication with stakeholders.
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Het strategisch project Citizen Science for a Healthy Lifestyle is gestart op 1 november 2019. Het project had als doel: kennis, ervaring, scholing en internationalisering op het thema Citizen Science for Healthy Lifestyle bevorderen. Deze strategische fonds heeft op concrete wijze vorm en inhoud gegeven aan de visie en doelen van het CoE HA. Deze aanvraag heeft mede geleid tot het benoemen van Citizen Science als belangrijke enabler/versneller binnen de visie van het CoE HA. In jaar 1 lag het accent op scholing (expert conference/workshop etc.) en de opzet van een 3-tal pilots. In jaar 2 werd de opgedane kennis en ervaring verwerkt in ontwikkelde onderwijs modules Citizen Science. De Hanzehogeschool stelt zich tot doel waarde en impact te cre ren in Noord-Nederland, met de inzet van onderwijs, onderzoek en innovatie. De strategie van het Centre of Expertise Healthy Ageing (CoE HA) belicht drie thema’s: 1) gelijkheid en participatie in gezondheidszorg, 2) gezonde leefstijl en omgeving, en 3) kwetsbaarheid en passende zorg. Zowel als onderzoek/innovatiestrategie en als middel om burgers en gemeenschappen te betrekken, speelt Citizen Science for health een belangrijke rol in het mogelijk maken en versnellen van processen binnen de drie thema’s. Citizen Science kan gedefinieerd worden als een vorm van onderzoekssamenwerking en co-creatie die burgers betrekt bij onderzoek en innovatie om concrete vraagstukken aan te pakken, en die dus vereist dat niet-professionele bijdragers onderdeel van de samenwerking zijn.Belangrijkste resultaten:• Citizen Science is mede door deze strategische fonds aanvraag en van de drie enablers geworden in de nieuwe CoE HA strategische koers 2021-2026;• Opstart pilots van Living Lab Beweegvriendelijk Vinkhuizen, Living Lab Oldambt Tijd voor Toekomst en Meer Gezonde Jaren Appingedam. Mede door blijvende investering en honorering van Living Labs Sport en Bewegen van ZonMw; Het gaat hier om een netwerksubsidie (8 maanden), lokale verankering (12 maanden) en experiment subsidie (5 maanden);• Integratie Citizen Science in Erasmus+ capacity building project Sustainable Wellbeing (SUSWELL);• Ontwikkeling SPRONG-aanvraag op het thema Citizen Science (deadline 31 mei 2022);• Diverse scholingsactiviteiten en workshops (master HAP, bachelor, docent-onderzoekers van de Healthy Ageing schools, studiedagen) hebben in 2020, 2021 en 2022 plaatsgevonden;• Studie tweedaagse over Citizen Science gehouden voor studenten en docent-onderzoekers CoE HA en KC Noorderruimte;• Samenwerking met Stanford University en Our Voice: Citizen Science for Health Equity network gerealiseerd;• Positioning statement Citizen Science geschreven in NL en EN;• Lid geworden van European Citizen Science Association (ECSA);• Scholingsmateriaal ontwikkeld voor studenten en docent-onderzoekers van de vijf schools vallend onder Healthy Ageing;• Ontwikkeling NWO-subsidie aanvraag maatschappelijk verdien vermogen over citizen-student Science voor studenten welzijn tijdens en na de Corona pandemie (deadline voorjaar 2022);• Postdoc aanstelling Citizen Science vanuit het CoE HA.• Met de Citizen Science scholingsactiviteiten zijn in totaal 270 bachelor studenten, 145 master studenten, 279 docent-onderzoekers, 109 professionals en 180 burgers bereikt verspreid over de verschillende pilots.Aanbevelingen:• Mede op basis van de impact van praktijkgericht onderzoek op praktijk, onderwijs en onderzoek (PRIME-model pagina 29), doorgaan met onderwijs en praktijk ontwikkelingen. De bijdrage aan het wetenschappelijke/onderzoeksdomein op Citizen Science verdient dekomende jaren extra aandacht;• Mede op basis van bevindingen visitatie terugkoppeling CoE HA (6-7 april 2022), verder doorontwikkelen tot herkend en erkend expertisecentrum op Citizen Science in de context van (publieke) gezondheidsdomein;• De komende jaren verder investeren in mensen en middelen in Citizen Science zodat het een van de leidende aanpakken wordt binnen onderwijs-onderzoek binnen het CoE HA zodat de Hanze zich ontwikkelt tot een expertisecentrum (o.a. m.b.v. SPRONG);• Komende jaren verder kennis en expertise ontwikkelen op Citizen Science door eigenonderzoek (promovendi/postdocs) en scholing;• Citizen Science integreren in relevante onderzoeksprojectaanvragen;• Citizen Science verder integreren in de drie inhoudelijke thema’s van het CoE HA;• Citizen Science onderwijsmodules en scholingen implementeren in het onderwijs van studenten (bachelors, masters) en bij- en nascholing van docent-onderzoekers.
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Civil society as a social sphere is constantly subjected to change. Using the Dutch context, this article addresses the question whether religiously inspired engagement is a binder or a breakpoint in modern societies. The author examines how religiously inspired people in the Netherlands involve themselves in non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and voluntary activities. Religious involvement and social engagement in different European countries are compared and discussed. In addition, the author explores the models of civil society and applies these to both the Christian and Islamic civil society in the Netherlands. Using four religious ‘identity organizations’ as case studies, this article discusses the interaction of Christian and Islamic civil society related to secularized Dutch society. The character and intentions of religiously inspired organizations and the relationship between religious and secular involvement are examined. This study also focuses on the attitude of policymakers towards religiously inspired engagement and government policy on ‘identity organizations’ in the Netherlands.
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From past experience, the municipality of Groningen (GRO) knows that citizen engagement is an essential aspect to execute any plans that imply change. In particular, district energy plans need citizen engagement the most to ensure successful execution. Both GRO and Grunneger Power (GPO) have first-hand experience in this field, collaborating with citizens in a variety of districts. These experiences have respectively been documented in the District Energy Approach (GRO) and the Cooperative Approach (GPO), two overall approaches to engage citizens in the energy transition in their own district. Herein, all possible barriers encountered in practice (technical and economic, but also social, legal and governmental) are taken into account. Together with the other local partners in Groningen, the Hanze University of Applied Sciences (HUAS) and the research organization Nederlandse Organisatie voor Toegepast Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek (TNO), the Unified Citizen Engagement Approach was developed. This strategy combines elements from the above two practical approaches as well various new process descriptions, tools and methods researched and developed by TNO and HUAS aimed at increasing citizen engagement on different levels. This new strategy will not only focus on the development of energy communities, but communities within districts as well, and is aligned to several of the Work Packages (WPs). New and/or improved tools and methods will be linked directly to different steps within the strategy and their effectiveness will be tested and evaluated. The results will then be used to iteratively develop the new universal citizen engagement strategy, which consists of a toolkit that can be utilised in any district in both the lighthouse and follower cities.
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Citizen science – the active participation of lay people in research – may yield crucial local knowledge and increase research capacity. Recently, there is growing interest to understand benefits for citizen scientists themselves. We studied the perceived impacts of participation in a public health citizen science project on citizen scientists in a disadvantaged neighbourhood in the Netherlands. Local citizen scientists, characterised by low income and low educational level – many of whom were of migrant origin – were trained to interview fellow residents about health-enhancing and health-damaging neighbourhood features. Experiences of these citizen scientists were collected through focus groups and interviews and analysed using a theoretical model of potential citizen science benefits. The results show that the citizen scientists perceived participation in the project as a positive experience. They acquired a broader understanding of health and its determinants and knowledge about healthy lifestyles, and took action to change their own health behaviour. They reported improved self confidence and social skills, and expanded their network across cultural boundaries. Health was perceived as a topic that helped people with different backgrounds to relate to one another. The project also induced joint action to improve the neighbourhood’s health. We conclude that citizen science benefits participants with low educational or literacy level. Moreover, it seems to be a promising approach that can help promote health in underprivileged communities by strengthening personal skills and social capital. However, embedding projects in broader health promotion strategies and long-term engagement of citizen scientists should be pursued to accomplish this.
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Online knowledge-sharing platforms could potentially contribute to an accelerated climate adaptation by promoting more green and blue spaces in urban areas. The implementation of small-scale nature-based solutions (NBS) such as bio(swales), green roofs, and green walls requires the involvement and enthusiasm of multiple stakeholders. This paper discusses how online citizen science platforms can stimulate stakeholder engagement and promote NBS, which is illustrated with the case of ClimateScan. Three main concerns related to online platforms are addressed: the period of relevance of the platform, the lack of knowledge about the inclusiveness and characteristics of the contributors, and the ability of sustaining a well-functioning community with limited resources. ClimateScan has adopted a “bottom–up” approach in which users have much freedom to create and update content. Within six years, this has resulted in an illustrated map with over 5000 NBS projects around the globe and an average of more than 100 visitors a day. However, points of concern are identified regarding the data quality and the aspect of community-building. Although the numbers of users are rising, only a few users have remained involved. Learning from these remaining top users and their motivations, we draw general lessons and make suggestions for stimulating long-term engagement on online knowledge-sharing platforms
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Citizen science has demonstrated potential to foster local changes in public health, including physical (in)activity. We used community-engaged citizen science to explore how to improve the exercise-friendliness of a Dutch neighborhood, chosen because it scored below average on important health parameters.We followed the steps of design thinking and employed the Our Voice citizen science method to find out how community members perceived exercise-friendliness in their neighborhood. Members participated in technology-enabled “discovery” walks using the multi-lingual Stanford Neighborhood Discovery Tool mobile application. Positive, negative, and dual features in the neighborhood were captured. During a researcher-facilitated process, citizen scientists analyzed their data together, leading to overarching themes reflecting resident needs and desires. These themes served as the basis for developing a walking route throughout the neighborhood. Several initial walking route prototypes were developed and tested by citizen scientists, resulting in a final route design that was realized in collaboration with local government officials. Citizen scientists were interviewed and asked about their engagement with and sense of agency throughout the research process. They reported commitment to the project and their neighborhood, and a desire to contribute to society. They also reported increased agency in contributing to neighborhood impacts.This project showed that citizen science “by the people” is a powerful way to engage people with projects in their own neighborhoods. It provided local perspectives on the neighborhood, which led to actual changes in the environment
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In dit experiment hebben de samenwerkingspartners VitaalNed en de Hanzehogeschool Groningen (studenten en docent-onderzoekers) kennis en ervaring opgedaan over de successen en belemmeringen van een gezamenlijk innovatieproces dat tot doel had een voor alle partijen gewenst en aantrekkelijk leefstijlaanbod. Dit aanbod zou gericht moeten zijn op studentenwelzijn, met een aanpak op zowel fysiek, mentaal als sociaal welzijn. De doelstellingen waren als volgt:1. Aan het einde van het experiment is er een onderbouwd en door Citizen Science gevalideerd plan van aanpak voor de implementatie van een op studentenbehoefte en evidentie gebaseerde innovatie ter verbetering van psychosociaal en fysiek welzijn van hbo-studenten (potentieel N=33.000). Dit plan is gekoppeld aan een (grove) inschatting van vermindering van maatschappelijke kosten op gebied van zorg en arbeidsverzuim; 2. Aan het einde van het experiment is er inzicht in de successen en belemmeringen van een gezamenlijk innovatieproces om tot een passend leefstijlaanbod voor studenten te komen, alsmede in de eco-systeem/Citizen Science aanpak als versneller voor innovatie;3. De private partner VitaalNed innoveert met de nieuwe kennis haar eigen en nieuwe leefstijlaanbod en vertaalt dit naar mogelijk andere producten, diensten en doelgroepen die efficiënt en effectief zijn zodat ze vergoed kunnen worden door o.a. zorgverzekeraar, gemeente etc. Hiermee heeft VitaalNed aan het einde van het experiment een businesscase om leefstijlinnovaties effectiever te maken op inhoud en duur.
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Introduction Student success is positively linked to engagement, but negatively linked to emotional exhaustion. Though both constructs have been conceptualized as opposites previously, we hypothesize that students can demonstrate high or low engagement and emotional exhaustion simultaneously. We used quantitative and qualitative data to identify the existence of four student profiles based on engagement and exhaustion scores. Furthermore, we studied how profiles associate to study behaviour, wellbeing and academic achievement, and what risks, protective factors and support requirements students and teachers identify for these profiles. Methods The Student Wellbeing Monitor 2021, developed by Inholland University of Applied Sciences, was used to identify profiles using quadrant analyses based on high and low levels of engagement and emotional exhaustion (n= 1460). Correlation analyses assessed profile specific differences on study behaviours, academic delay, and wellbeing. Semi-structured interviews with students and teachers are currently in progress to further explore the profiles, to identify early signals, and to inspect support requirements. Results The quadrant analysis revealed four profiles: low engagement and low exhaustion (energised-disengaged; 9%), high engagement and low exhaustion (energised-engaged; 15%), low engagement and high exhaustion (exhausted-disengaged; 48%), and high engagement and high exhaustion (exhausted-engaged; 29%). Overall, engaged students demonstrated more active study behaviours and more social connections and interactions with fellow students and teachers. The exhausted students scored higher on depressive symptoms and stress. The exhausted-engaged students reported the highest levels of performance pressure, while the energised-disengaged students had the lowest levels of performance pressure. So far, students and teachers recognise the profiles and have suggested several support recommendations for each profile. Discussion The results show that students can be engaged but at the same time are exhausting themselves. A person-oriented mixed-methods approach helps students and teachers gain awareness of the diversity and needs of students, and improve wellbeing and student success.
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This study analyzes citizen brand ambassadors' motivations and the effects they perceived deriving from participation in a citizen-focused ambassador network which constituted one element of a city's destination brand strategy. The results of this study of Berlin's citizen ambassador program indicate that participating in an ambassador program resulted in perceived positive effects for ambassadors. One major finding is that few citizens engaged in the ambassador program due to feelings of commitment or civic pride, but rather as a means to enhance the reach and exposure of their individual projects. A further finding was that ambassadors did not voluntarily function as active message senders on an individual level. The study reveals new insight into the key factors of the decision-making process determining whether citizens engage or do not engage with ambassador programs.
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