Empowering local engagement: how can we step in the shoes of our neighbours?
In September, during the PUSH-IT General Assembly in Darmstadt, project members participated in a workshop on local stakeholder engagement and communication. The workshop encouraged participants to step into the shoes of a local citizen. The goal was to help project members refine their approach to communicating with the stakeholders impacted by their work.
The workshop brought together colleagues from all the PUSH-IT project sites across Europe: Delft, Darmstadt, Bochum, United Downs, Berlin, and Litomĕřice. Each site faces unique challenges in reaching its local community, so the workshop created a space for participants to exchange insights, best practices, and discuss effective communication strategies. The aim was to foster understanding, helping participants understand how the project is perceived at a community level.
The main focus of the first session was the 5-Why’s method, which is a creative exercise allowing participants to get to the root cause of a particular perception. Participants explored key questions in small groups, such as: What impact does our project have on the community? Who are the ones that are affected, and how do they experience our work? Using persona cards—profiles representing stakeholders like direct neighbours, industry partners, and social housing residents—the participants mapped out who is impacted and how, categorising experiences as positive or negative.
One group focused on local residents’ concerns about drilling and water quality. By asking “why” repeatedly, they found that the worry wasn’t only about noise and health risks but also stemmed from limited transparency about the technology and the difference between fossil fuels and geothermal energy. This underscored the need for clear, accessible communication about the technology and environmental risks. Another group examined the perspective of local businesses, which saw economic opportunities but also feared traffic disruptions affecting customer access. This highlighted the importance of a designated contact person and tailored messaging that balances project benefits with specific stakeholder concerns.
Key takeaways of the first part included the importance of timely updates, transparency, and tailoring communication to address community concerns and build trust. Participants also identified specific needs—such as guidelines and templates—that the PUSH-IT team will develop to support each site.
In the second part of the workshop, participants heard valuable lessons learned from two sites, United Downs and Berlin, before breaking into smaller groups to discuss what had worked well, the challenges encountered, and potential improvements for their engagement strategies. Here are some of the key highlights:
- What worked well: Across the sites, flexibility in stakeholder visits, open doors to the community, information provision and direct contact with key stakeholders were identified as effective approaches. For example, one site conducted a public hearing with politicians, which fostered transparency.
- Challenges: Common challenges included managing local expectations about project benefits, especially in terms of direct advantages for the community, like heat access. Some sites faced hurdles around communicating with regulators or convincing energy providers of the economic benefits of their projects. Others noted difficulty engaging with community members who held misconceptions about environmental impacts.
- Key improvements: Many participants agreed that engaging with key stakeholders earlier in the process could build more support. Ideas included placing banners with project explanations on site and using local newspapers and websites to keep residents informed about upcoming activities. Moreover, they expressed the need for dedicated staff focused on social engagement and communication at each site.
By the end of the workshop, everyone left with increased awareness and ability to think from locals’ perspective, and, hopefully, a clearer vision for guiding future engagement and communication. The PUSH-IT project will continue to research how we can improve societal engagement.
Stay tuned for more updates!
PUSH-IT is a project funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101096566.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
