The first activities of the project will be centered around research and analysis that project partners will conduct on the national levels among the project target groups in the identified rural areas. The detailed research methodology will be developed together by partners at the beginning of the project. The main goal is to assess the objective knowledge and survey the subjective feelings of the target groups about topics relevant to the project (EU policymaking and its local implementation, EU climate goals and measures, European Green Deal, local environmental problems, current level of information of and engagement with local or EU policymaking, etc.).

Research methodology tools will be:

• Target-group oriented – to collect citizens views and insights
  • online surveys
  • focus group and round table conversations
  • semi-structured interviews
• Organization and analysis of collected scientific data – to frame local issues and identify relevant stakeholders and policies
  • data obtained from various levels of governmental and other official databases, of university and other research institutions, and databases of relevant NGO-s
• Problem mapping – to identify local environmental and climate change-related issues subsequent participatory activities can focus on

This activity will serve as the foundation of later activities in two main ways. First, it will assess current levels of knowledge and information, which will help identify gaps we can address in later trainings and workshops. Second, mapping the problems identified by the local community allows us to use concrete issues in later workshops and participatory activities (e.g. simulations, eco-placemaking), which will provide real and tangible benefits to the target groups. The research itself will implement different participatory methods, like surveys and interviews as the target groups are given an opportunity to voice their views and concerns, which is integral to stronger citizen engagement.

An important component of the research will be the collection of sex-aggregated data to uncover specific insights about rural women’s awareness of and barriers to participation in environmental decision-making as many analyses underline that rural women continue to face greater difficulties in taking part in decision-making processes. Data collection will be ethical and in line with GDPR.

The results of the research will be presented publicly and to relevant stakeholders in an online symposium, which will also serve as a platform to discuss key issues of rural participation (including existing best practices, challenges, and why many rural citizens feel they are left behind by policymakers).