CARISMAND’s work plan is based on two main organisational features:
- the ‘linear’ progression of work package results over the time line (WP2, WP3, WP4, WP6, WP7, WP8), and
- the ‘cyclical’ progressions of results from Citizen Summits and Stakeholder Assemblies, collated in WP5.
The ‘interface’ between these two parts is taken up by WP11 which will synthesise the results on an on-going basis. These synthesised results will directly feed into the toolkit development of WP9.
CARISMAND will provide comprehensive reviews of state-of-the-art knowledge regarding the links and gaps between culture, risk perception and disaster management by approaching the subject from the broadest possible multi-disciplinary perspective. The on-going results of these reviews will be synthesised into a matrix report that is frequently updated and amended, and feed into the preparation of a set of six Citizen Summits and three Stakeholder Assemblies.
Due to their specific nature, the Citizen Summits provide a combination of dissemination, public information and feedback-gathering and, at the same time, through their encouraging citizens’ engagement they represent a core tool for citizen empowerment themselves. The Citizen Summits are envisaged to be one-day events where about 100-150 citizens are invited to learn and discuss about a specific subject. All discussions and responses will be recorded analysed after each event.
In order to promote a wide cross-sectional knowledge transfer, Stakeholder Assemblies will consist of disaster managers, policy makers, community leaders, and NGO’s from different locations. After an initial general assembly, the participants will be split into various working groups where they are presented with different topics. The composition of the working groups will change over the course of the assembly to ensure that each topic is assessed from various sides and new ideas can be brought up. The assembly discussions will be recorded and then analysed.
The results of both Citizen Summits and Stakeholder Assemblies will be integrated in the matrix report of WP11 for the preparation of the respective next cycle of events, ensuring a smooth and comprehensive feedback loop and progression of ideas. Such iterative process does not only follow the same principle as successful risk communication designs, but also reflects the conceptual understanding of ‘culture’ as an assemblage of attitudes, values and everyday behaviour which undergoes constant change.
The synthesised results from all work packages will feed into a toolkit which will consist of two different ‘tools’ with similar content but a rather different design: (1) a ‘formal’ Toolkit for stakeholders at all levels, such as policy makers, disaster managers or NGO’s, referring to the implementation and/or improvement of policies and guidelines, suggestions for ‘industry’ standards, educational measures, and a roadmap for further knowledge transfer activities across types of actors as well as across types of disasters; and (2) a comprehensive Cultural Map will be made available - this tool will have the structural framework of a knowledge base and will include a number of practical features such as recommendations to disaster managers for their everyday practice, links to best-practice examples, visual motivators/reminders and memory aides for raising general cultural awareness, a FAQ section, and a number of tools that can range from basic cultural checklists and behavioural guidelines to the use and/or implementation of technologies.
