DUST activities are hotting up as we prepare to pilot the project’s Regional Futures Literacy Labs (RFLLs)! With the world transitioning to carbon neutrality, the socio-economic changes involved create both challenges and possibilities. Central to navigating these shifts is citizen participation, which is crucial for ensuring that sustainability policies are accountable, transparent, and fair—especially for marginalised communities. DUST’s RFLLs present an opportunity to foster this participation, so keep reading to learn more about our approach!
The UNESCO Futures Literacy Lab (FLL) offers a foundational participatory methodology aimed at developing "futures literacy," or the ability to anticipate and shape future scenarios. This approach empowers individuals to imagine alternative futures and make proactive decisions in the present. The FLL process unfolds in three key phases: first, it reveals participants' assumptions and hopes; second, it reframes these insights through the exploration of alternative futures; and finally, it encourages reflection on how these insights prepare participants for future challenges. The ultimate goal is to mobilise collective intelligence for knowledge creation (CICK) to guide long-term vision-building and action.
Building on this basis, DUST's RFLLs adapts and extends the UNESCO FLL model specifically for regional sustainability transitions. While both approaches prioritise empowering citizens to imagine and prepare for the future, the DUST RFLLs place a stronger emphasis on regional design. This adaptation incorporates local spatial, cultural, and territorial dimensions into sustainability planning, ensuring that policies address the unique challenges and opportunities of specific areas.
A significant difference between the two approaches also lies in the RFLLs’ close integration with policy-making. By ensuring that citizens’ insights directly influence sustainability policies at various governance levels, DUST RFLLs increase the relevance and effectiveness of these policies. In addition to the phases established in the UNESCO model, DUST RFLL employs Pol.is, an e-democracy tool designed for large-scale citizen deliberation. The format enables proactive and strategic positioning of communities, particularly LECs, in multi-level policy landscapes of sustainability transitions.
To put these principles into action, RFLL experiments will take place in four case study regions where just sustainability transitions pose the greatest challenges. These regions include Norrbotten (Sweden), the Lusatian District (Germany), Katowice (Poland), and Stara Zagora (Bulgaria). The RFLLs will focus on engaging the least engaged communities in these areas—such as ethnic minorities, youth groups, women, and specific sectoral workers, including miners and employees of mining-related companies—who are directly affected by policies such as the EU’s Just Transition Fund (JTF). Coordination of the RFLLs will be led by DUST partner Nordregio in collaboration with academic and societal partners, while TU Delft will provide preparatory information and oversee the Pol.is experiments.
The RFLL process is structured into three key phases, each designed to be adaptable to local contexts. This flexibility ensures that citizen priorities are front and centre in every RFLL initiative.
Phase 1: Preparation and Planning In this phase, academic leaders collaborate with civil society partners to develop tailored RFLL Action Plans for their specific regions. These plans are informed by insights from previous DUST research, highlighting crucial aspects of civic participation and the needs of least engaged communities. This existing knowledge helps teams ensure their experiments are relevant and impactful, and documented in the RFLL Action Plan template as a roadmap for the next phase.
Phase 2: Implementation The heart of the DUST project lies in implementing the RFLL experiments. This phase equips and encourages citizens to envision and prepare for sustainable transition scenarios through four core workshops, complemented by the Pol.is tool for enhanced participation. Case study teams apply their RFLL Action Plans to effectively address community needs and adapt the workshop structures to reflect their regions, ensuring an inclusive and engaging environment.
Phase 3: Assessment In the final phase, the focus shifts to evaluation. This phase assesses the RFLLs’ design and implementation from both facilitators' and participants' perspectives. This framework offers crucial feedback on how effectively these tools empower citizens to anticipate change, foster consensus, and shape sustainability policies for future efforts.
By carefully journeying through these phases, DUST’s RFLL approach aims to amplify citizen voices and explore ways to integrate them into the policymaking process, ultimately leading to more equitable and just sustainability transitions. Stay tuned to find out how this unfolds in the four case study regions!