The work programme of CITISPYCE is organised into a series of Work Packages which are listed below. Click on the title and this will bring up descriptions of each Work Package's main objectives and links to reports on the findings.
WP1 KICK-OFF MEETING & METHODOLOGY WORKSHOP WP Leader: Olga Jubany, University of Barcelona
Determination of appropriate Methodologies at the outset of the project, to ensure the quality and consistency of research.
Main Tasks
- To develop a combined research strategy in a transnational research context that integrates qualitative data and biographical interview material with quantitative (secondary) European data.
- To build upon existing policy-relevant comparative research on innovation to combat inequalities.
- To establish common understandings of terms and agreed working methodology.
- To develop project-wide comparative frameworks for analysis.
- To determine the strategy for ethics committee approval for different parts of the study, including in-depth interviews, focus groups and case studies.
- To conduct interim monitoring of the results of WPs 2,3,4 to ensure consistency by provision of regular review, internal evaluation and progress assessment through project structures and tools.
- To prepare and run a Methodology workshop at the start of the project and agree a Methodology Strategy to guide the future work packages.
Deliverables
- Methodology Research instruments and guides
- Methodology Plan for Fieldwork
- Guide for Focus Groups
- Ethical Standards Committee Plan
- Interim evaluation reports for WPs 2,3,4 prior to WP5
WP2 BASE LINE STUDY WP Leader: Mikael Stigendal Malmo University
Main Tasks
- To examine the current state of play of policy, practice and language used at EU, national and city levels with regard to tackling inequalities and fostering and supporting social innovation.
- To improve our understanding of the policy context across Europe within which public sector policy-makers and their social partners currently act.
- To uncover the public sectors’ policies and support directed at encouraging young people’s economic activity and civic engagement at EU, national and city levels.
- To identify the extent to which these policies register the changing demographic landscape of inequalities as manifested in large urban centres of EU cities today and show evidence of a changing structural response involving social innovation, particularly towards young people.
WP3 FIELDWORK i WP Leader: Simon Guentner, HAW- Hamburg University
Main Tasks
To achieve a comprehensive description and analysis of policies and social infrastructure working against social inequalities in selected neighbourhoods of each partner’s city, with a particular focus on young people. Using the legislative frameworks to support young people (youth policy) and to promote equal opportunities more generally identified in WP2, this WP will undertake a mapping exercise to include:
- To develop and agree a framework for description and analysis of policies, social infrastructure and specific projects working against social inequalities in each partner city, zoning in on up to three deprived neighbourhoods that will form the case study areas.
- To select up to three case study areas in each city informed by data gathered in WP2 and consideration of available socio-economic indicators used in classifying neighbourhoods according to deprivation; social infrastructure and services available in the neighbourhood case study areas; specific projects in neighbourhood areas to promote social innovation and to fight inequalities (ESF funded and other schemes that may only be temporarily in place and complement the mainstream social infrastructure for that period).
WP4 FIELDWORK ii WP Leader: Ajmal Hussain, Aston University
Main Tasks
Identify spaces, participants
- The baseline data will reveal the extent of deprivation in each city. Based on this, up to three neighbourhoods each with similar levels of young people and unemployment levels will be selected for this phase of fieldwork. Ethnographic observation and indepth interviews will then be used to uncover social innovations and the conditions of enablement and constraint surrounding them within each neighbourhood.
Conduct observations, indepth-interviews
- On the basis of agreed interview schedules and instruments, and from having established the project’s community network, interview research questions will be elaborated as a basis for the construction of guidelines for the 15 qualitative interviews to be conducted in each of three neighbourhoods. A total of 450 interviews will be conducted across the EU participating countries.
- Following the interviews, one focus group per participating neighbourhood (with a total of thirty focus groups in all) will be conducted.
Interim Monitoring
- Production of tools for formative evaluation on effectiveness, achievement of results, and overall project performance.
- Elaboration of a specific tool on interim evaluation on efficiency of design and use of resources.
- Production of interim evaluation reports.
WP5 INTERIM EVALUATION WP Leader: Olga Jubany, University of Barcelona
Main Tasks
- To monitor the findings and assist the leaders of WPs 2, 3 and 4 in drawing out key learning points in preparation for the Interim workshop. This will specifically involve the drawing up of a typology of social innovation based on these findings. It will include self-generated initiatives as well as initiatives being developed by the public sector and NGOs re: young people’s engagement in economic activity and participation in civil society including, for example, whether they address the democratic deficit which is increasing between disadvantaged young people and local and national governance structures.
- To translate the typology into a Menu of Innovative Practices according to key themes arising from the research. This will provide the basis for the discussions which will take place in the Interim workshop. Partners will come together with key stakeholders from city, national and EU levels and NGOs to assess this research and advise on the selection of pilot projects for WP6. There will also be a dedicated session during the workshop for young people who have been involved in the WP4 fieldwork. They will act as an alternative sounding board for the partners and particularly public sector policy-makers and stakeholders re: the key issues that might be tackled through the examples of socially innovative practices highlighted by the fieldwork. In this way the project aims to bridge the gap between ‘them and us’ and to encourage active participation in civic dialogue.
WP6 PILOT ACTIVITIES WP Leader: Henk Spies, Plus Confidence, Rotterdam
Main Tasks
- To set up and run a series of pilot projects in cities which are within the Consortium or are the locations of the other Consortium partners in order to test the transferability of the innovative practices which have emerged in different environments and conditions. This will linvolve matching up sending and host cities/neighbourhoods and agreeing a framework for cooperation between each partnership. The Consortium partner will collaborate with relevant local social partners (NGOs and local authorities, cultural and creative industries, social media organisations) to facilitate the running of a pilot action.
- To test the viability and potential for mainstreaming of the selected pilot social innovation projects and capture the learning from them to inform the Case Studies and Evaluation Seminar (WP7) and the Final Report and Policy Recommendations (WP8).
WP7 CASE STUDIES & EVALUATION WP Leader: Tomas Sirovatka, Masaryk University, Brno
Main Tasks
- To prepare a series of case studies developed from the Menu of Innovative Practices and pilot actions in WP6, ensuring that they reflect the geographical spread of the project and the broad range of themes which will have emerged from the research.
- To create a web-based repository of these Case Studies, including an assessment of the critical success factors.
- To organize an Evaluation Seminar, involving the Scientific Advisory Panel and a wide range of stakeholders to discuss the case studies and findings of previous WPs.
- To engage the young people from the targeted neighbourhoods in the evaluation to ensure ‘grassroots’ perceptions are taken into account and that results are based on real experience.
- To develop a first draft of policy recommendations based on our initial findings, case studies and feedback from stakeholders in cities in which research undertaken.
WP8 FINAL REPORT & RECOMMENDATIONS WP Leader: Ajmal Hussain, Aston University
Main Tasks
- To review the findings from the earlier WPs and provide a synthesis for comment and critique by all partners.
- To ensure that the Final Report addresses the original objective of the project, particularly with regard to mechanisms for upscaling and the future organisation of funding streams to facilitate and sustain social innovations by and for young people.
- To develop a set of policy recommendations at the local, regional, national and EU levels, drawing not only on the project’s research findings but also on ideas and comments from interested parties beyond the Consortium itself – notably young people’s.
- To provide the research input to the Final Conference (WP10).
WP9 MANAGEMENT
Main Tasks
- To ensure that the project runs to time and on budget and fulfils the scientific, technical and social objectives original set.
- To ensure that the members of the Consortium have all the necessary management and communication tools necessary to promote an effective working partnership over the life of the project.
- To liaise with the European Commission on all matters concerning the project and partnership.
- To be responsible for the preparation and submission of all financial reports and supporting documentation and deliverables required by the European Commission.
WP10 DISSEMINATION WP Leader: Jill Robinson, Aston University
Main Tasks
The overarching aim will be to disseminate project findings as widely as possible and to promote and stimulate exchanges of know how and experience between academic and public sectors, NGOs and young people through the use of a wide range of communications tools including social media.
To produce a dissemination strategy which includes the following types of activity:
- Setting up and maintaining project website with intranet for partners and opportunities for blogging.
- Placing articles in academic publications.
- Publishing various project reports on the project website throughout the life of the project.
- Holding a variety of workshops/seminars and meet & brief sessions according to the chosen target audience.
- Making use of key European networks to raise awareness of the project e.g. Eurocities (via the Social Affairs Forum) as well as national, regional and local networks.
- Creating and maintaining a presence on main social media platforms, such as facebook and twitter.
- Exchanges with other research projects in similar fields.
- To organise and promote Final Conference, and to provide facilities for virtual participation.
- To create an ongoing virtual policy and practitioner knowledge exchange forum on Social Innovation and Young People (Cascading Network).
- Launch of CitiSpyce Cascading Network
