This toolkit can contribute to successful climate action by giving scientists and science communicators the tools to practice effective public engagement on climate change. As a project’s first deliverable, this toolkit includes a literature review, good practices, and resources focused on providing scientists and science communicators with the necessary tools to engage with the public with issues, concepts, and actions related to climate change and female representation in STEM.
The key readings, practical resources, and best practices about public engagement concerning climate change were collected by implementing a systematic mapping protocol. Mistrik et al. (2016) defined a systematic mapping study as “the process of identifying, categorizing, and analyzing existing literature relevant to a certain research topic.” The resources were collected through a systematic examination and evaluation of existing materials and products as part of projects in different parts of the world. These selected resources had to meet all of the inclusion criteria:
- Topic of the resource should be related to the climate crisis
- Topic of the resource should be related to public engagement
- Resource should be accessible online
- Resource is preferably available for free
Additionally, when choosing the elements that compose this toolkit, we sought to cover three essential criteria for a systematic evaluation: innovation, impact, and transferability.
Innovation
This toolkit goes beyond science communication to address goals related to public engagement. Public engagement implies a more democratic, bottom-up, and complementary relationship between scientists and the public and requires an understanding of how non-scientists engage (or not) with science, how trust in science is developed, and how views and behaviours might be influenced.
Unlike adopting a general approach to public engagement with science, this toolkit adopts a contextualized approach and focuses on issues related to climate change with the ultimate goal of supporting the public to engage in climate action.
This toolkit incorporates resources related to gender inclusivity in science and science communication. It aims to address the issue of the underrepresentation of women in science through practices such as the positive recognition and enhanced visibility of women in science.
Impact
Using this toolkit, scientists and science communicators can improve their practices and acquire new skills in science communication and public engagement with science, integrating cutting-edge technology tools. This design will ensure that the toolkit will have a continued impact in the future and a strong potential for transferability to many areas and target groups.
Transferability
This toolkit was developed, reviewed, and will be piloted by scientists with support from the STAGE committee. Its adaptability emphasizes the potential for further sustainability within the partner countries and beyond.
Sources:
Mistrik, I., Ali, N., Kazman, R., Grundy, J., & Schmerl, B. (2016). Managing Trade-offs in Adaptable Software Architectures. Elsevier Gezondheidszorg.
