Planning the duration and timing of your project
The length of 'Co-Creating Our City' projects can vary depending on the goals and scope of your specific project. To address a specific issue or work with one city department only, a meaningful process typically requires a minimum of 4 to 6 months. This is to allow for recruitment of co-researchers, relationship-building, designing, conducting, and analyzing the research, and developing and sharing ideas and solutions based on the research. Broader projects that aim to influence citywide decisions and embed lasting change in youth engagement may benefit from a 9- to 12-month timeline. Scheduling should carefully align with key calendars: the academic year (avoiding exam periods and school holidays), political timelines (e.g., elections, budget planning cycles, council meetings), and major city events that could either compete with or complement the project.
For a 9- to12-month project, the start of the academic year could offer a good opportunity to work with a cohort of young people, though challenges may arise when workshops and research activities clash with key exam dates, vacation periods, political or major city events.
For shorter projects, aligning project activities with the summer break may offer flexibility for engagement of young people who are in secondary or further education, but also risks lower availability of both youth and decision-makers.
Crucially, building a timeline that is flexible and anticipates these factors ensures more consistent participation, maximizes opportunities for influence, and respects the time constraints of the co-researchers who are involved.
Case study: Example plan of activities in 'Co-Creating Our City' pilot project in Düsseldorf
| Month | Planned activities | Actors involved |
|---|---|---|
| May–Sep 2024 | Project setup, including recruitment and training co-researchers to become Citizen Scientists | Project team, funder or sponsor, and city authorities |
| Oct 2024–Mar 2025 | Citizen Science research period, accompanied by a dedicated researcher in each city | Project team & co-researchers |
| May–Jun 2025 | Closing event | Project team, co-researchers, city authorities, wider public |
| Sep–Oct 2025 | Dissemination activities | Project team, selected co-researchers |