Faciliator: Andrea Brunello
Jorge R Zapata-Restrepo, Blanquerna – Ramon Llull University, Spain
Evaluating Urban Health with Older Adults: A Co-Creative Approach to Age- Friendly Urban Design in Barcelona
Our study assesses the reliability of the ‘Tool for Assessing Determinants of Health in Public Spaces’ through co-creation with care home residents and researchers in Barcelona. While providing valuable insights, the tool’s reliability in community settings is limited, emphasizing the need for user-centric design in urban planning. Integrating diverse perspectives enriches urban design and fosters age-friendly environments, aligning with the conference theme of transcending boundaries in public engagement. Presenting a PhD project on co-creation with older adults in urban planning, our talk highlights the importance of genuine participation and reliable community-based health assessments for inclusive, user-centric urban design. The innovative co-creative approach involves older adults in public space evaluation, contributing to more inclusive, accessible urban spaces. This initiative, part of Health CASCADE funded by EU’s Horizon 2020, aims to address public health challenges through evidence-based co-creation involving seven countries.
Cissi Askwall, the Swedish Research Council, Sweden
Forskning.se – Open Science for everyone
Forskning.se aims to make research results easily accessible and understandable to the public and professionals in Sweden. This national web-based initiative, financed by research funding organizations, collects, explains, and shares research findings in collaboration with universities, research institutes, and civil society organizations. By co-creating with target audiences and content providers, including the general public, journalists, and academic institutions, the platform ensures that information is presented in attractive and understandable formats. This approach not only promotes “Open Science” but also strengthens citizens’ science capital, empowering informed decision-making. Join us to learn about our ongoing development process and share your ideas for this evolving project, contributing to the vision of making research useful to everyone.
Conor Haugh, BiOrbic, Ireland
Generation Glas: Finding Identity as Youth Activists
Generation Glas, a collaboration between BiOrbic and Science Foundation Ireland, is an 8-month sustainability course empowering under-resourced Irish teenagers to become confident sustainability ambassadors. This program covers bioeconomy, climate action, and sustainability topics, enabling participants to shape their identities as change agents. Through a residential school, field trips, and online sessions, youths design STEAM events in their communities. Co-creation allows them to influence program elements, fostering ownership in climate action. Addressing the accessibility gap in sustainability advocacy, our approach equips youths from under-resourced backgrounds with knowledge, skills, and support to run impactful local events. This initiative highlights the potential and interest youths possess when given the opportunity to define their identities as climate activists.
Sara Verstraeten, EMBL (European Molecular Biology Laboratory), Germany
Ask a local! How to use 24 languages to talk about planetary health
In 2023, the European Molecular Biology Laboratory initiated a Europe-wide expedition on planetary health, prompting the challenge of engaging diverse audiences across 24 languages. To address this, we developed a participatory engagement (PE) program offering activities in local languages, involving local researchers as facilitators. Our talk outlines the process of creating participant-centered activities and training modules for local scientists to facilitate in their languages, emphasizing cultural adaptation and intercultural communication. Collaboration with local volunteers enabled effective engagement with audiences across Europe. Key points include reflections on cultural adaptation, the challenge of developing a single PE program for diverse European audiences, and the emphasis on empowering local scientists to make engagement decisions. By trusting and involving local researchers, we fostered meaningful connections with communities and successfully navigated linguistic and cultural diversity.