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Study Groups
Study groups, or study circles, provide a collaborative and democratic approach to addressing important public issues. They are often used as a tool for social and community development, as advocated by Everyday Democracy – a U.S.-based civil society organisation.
Planning Cells
Planning Cells – developed by Professor Dr Peter C Dienel of the University of Wuppertal, Germany – bring together a small group of members of the public to develop solutions for a specific planning or policy problem. They tend to be used to develop a way forward for an urgent problem where a number of options are available, and for issues where there is not a large degree of existing polarisation in the attitudes of the affected population.
Citizen Science
Citizen Science is research conducted by amateurs or non-professionals in order to increase public participation in scientific research and raise citizen awareness of particular issues, often relating to the environment. Ordinary people, often without formal training, are enabled to contribute to scientific research in their spare time. The range of involvement varies from people donating idle time on their home computers for use in solving problems to people contributing small bits of data about themselves or their environments.
Local and Global Civic Innovation Tools
Top Tips For Civic Innovation
Build on what’s happening anyway
It can really help if you link your activity with something relevant that is happening and that people may be aware of already.
Focus on the Solution
Much engagement with service providers and public representatives tends to focus on what is not working.
It’s not “one size fits all”
Different situations call for different kinds of tools and approaches: some tools would be appropriate to certain circumstances and not to others.