Periodic Reporting for period 1 - FLOW (Future Lives with Oceans and Waters)
Reporting period: 2023-01-01 to 2024-12-31
In contribution to the EU mission Restore our Oceans and Waters by 2030, FLOW is an international and interdisciplinary project studying young generations relations and engagement with water and oceans, their expectations and emotions. FLOW brings together policy-makers, researchers and water stakeholders with the youth and engaging them in co-creation of stewardship assemblages. The project’s innovative design brings together diverse young people from all across Europe and empower them to directly interact with marine and freshwater stakeholders from the fields of policy, blue economy, innovation and research.
Within this research project we will:
• create a theoretical based on a review of scientific research on e.g. human-nature relations, socio-ecological systems and future studies;
• increase understanding of human-water relations of the young generation based on contemporary streams of youth culture;
• study pioneering projects (such as Embassy of the North Sea) where youngsters are engaged in acting for oceans and water;
• organize future workshops throughout Europe to co-create future perspectives on young peoples' relations to sea and waters;
• and create blueprints for stewardship assemblages based on an international co-creation event.
RU, Fraunhofer ISI, UiT, and Volonteurope collaborate in this project. FLOW has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme under Grant Agreement No 101093928. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or EISMEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
Within this research project we will:
• create a theoretical based on a review of scientific research on e.g. human-nature relations, socio-ecological systems and future studies;
• increase understanding of human-water relations of the young generation based on contemporary streams of youth culture;
• study pioneering projects (such as Embassy of the North Sea) where youngsters are engaged in acting for oceans and water;
• organize future workshops throughout Europe to co-create future perspectives on young peoples' relations to sea and waters;
• and create blueprints for stewardship assemblages based on an international co-creation event.
RU, Fraunhofer ISI, UiT, and Volonteurope collaborate in this project. FLOW has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme under Grant Agreement No 101093928. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or EISMEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
In WP1 a scientific framework was built. The FLOW Encyclopædia aimed to facilitate exchanges on the topic of changing human-water relations from both a domain- and critical-perspective, by clarifying a series of concepts and theories. Based on this FLOW Encyclopædia, the inFLOW lens was created providing a synthesis of the scientific basis for FLOW. Stakeholder and gender/diversity analyses were done, in which relevant stakeholders in different domains that shape human-water relations in the seven regions were explored. The final task in WP1 aimed at the integration of the insights of WP1 in the form of a Framework paper, titled: ‘The Many Worlds of FLOW’. The main methods used for developing this framework paper were science-fiction prototyping (a narrative/storytelling technique that explores imaginative and speculative concepts within the realm of science and technology) and worldbuilding (the design of an imaginary world).
WP2 produced a foresight study on changing human-water relations. The research objective was to gain better insights into how European youth shape and hold their expectations about the futures of oceans and waters, and the relations, values and emotions they exhibit when considering the present and future states of our waters. By examining a variety of cultural sources which portray or enact human-water relations, we identified expectations, hopes and fears of younger generations, resulting in the Mixed-Media Research Corpus.
In WP3, five pioneering initiatives focused on oceans, sea and waters as well as their young members’ relations to these aquatic systems were studied by applying the theoretical lens of WP1 and WP2, aiming to provide insight in the characteristics of current pioneer initiatives and youngsters drivers to act. Based on a workplan with a detailed methodological approach, a document analysis and interviews with board members and participating young adults were performed, followed up by focus groups. We deepened and further contextualized the insights from the interviews in the focus groups
In WP4, seven FLOW Experiential Futures Workshops were designed and organized, one in each of the seven regions. Overall, 134 young people from more than 30 countries in Europe were engaged in these workshops. All the inputs and materials from the workshops were stored and analysed providing the basis for the Catalogue of Images of the Future. This booklet, using storytelling, detailed the images of the future shared by young people during the workshops and was built around the themes of past, present, and future, with an additional section aimed at spreading “waves of hope.” It was made available online as a StoryMap and printed for dissemination purposes.
In WP5 the co-creation event for blueprints for stewardship assemblages was organized. Based on insights from the previous work packages a framework for blueprints, including first ideas for youth engagement activities, was created. As a result of conceptual refinement and structuring of the blueprints obtained during the co-creation event, the concept of “Youth Empowering Human-Water Mutual Care Assemblages” (YWMCAs) was developed as a way to structure the obtained social interaction blueprints . The YWMCAs are configurations of diverse elements that empower young people to set up and join mutually caring cooperations with other human and more-than-human actors around aquatic ecosystems that maximise the flourishing capacities of all its entities. In total, we identified six Experiential Mutual Learning Arenas including blueprints that envision multi-species spaces where human and more-than-human entities are deeply engaged in multi-sensory mutual learning experiences.
WP2 produced a foresight study on changing human-water relations. The research objective was to gain better insights into how European youth shape and hold their expectations about the futures of oceans and waters, and the relations, values and emotions they exhibit when considering the present and future states of our waters. By examining a variety of cultural sources which portray or enact human-water relations, we identified expectations, hopes and fears of younger generations, resulting in the Mixed-Media Research Corpus.
In WP3, five pioneering initiatives focused on oceans, sea and waters as well as their young members’ relations to these aquatic systems were studied by applying the theoretical lens of WP1 and WP2, aiming to provide insight in the characteristics of current pioneer initiatives and youngsters drivers to act. Based on a workplan with a detailed methodological approach, a document analysis and interviews with board members and participating young adults were performed, followed up by focus groups. We deepened and further contextualized the insights from the interviews in the focus groups
In WP4, seven FLOW Experiential Futures Workshops were designed and organized, one in each of the seven regions. Overall, 134 young people from more than 30 countries in Europe were engaged in these workshops. All the inputs and materials from the workshops were stored and analysed providing the basis for the Catalogue of Images of the Future. This booklet, using storytelling, detailed the images of the future shared by young people during the workshops and was built around the themes of past, present, and future, with an additional section aimed at spreading “waves of hope.” It was made available online as a StoryMap and printed for dissemination purposes.
In WP5 the co-creation event for blueprints for stewardship assemblages was organized. Based on insights from the previous work packages a framework for blueprints, including first ideas for youth engagement activities, was created. As a result of conceptual refinement and structuring of the blueprints obtained during the co-creation event, the concept of “Youth Empowering Human-Water Mutual Care Assemblages” (YWMCAs) was developed as a way to structure the obtained social interaction blueprints . The YWMCAs are configurations of diverse elements that empower young people to set up and join mutually caring cooperations with other human and more-than-human actors around aquatic ecosystems that maximise the flourishing capacities of all its entities. In total, we identified six Experiential Mutual Learning Arenas including blueprints that envision multi-species spaces where human and more-than-human entities are deeply engaged in multi-sensory mutual learning experiences.
D1.1 Open Access Transdisciplinary dataset: FLOW Encyclopædia provides a collection of concepts, domain theories, critical theories, and cultural expressions
D1.2 inFLOW Conceptual lens
D1.3 Stakeholders in changing human-water relations. FLOW Report is a comprehensive overview of relevant stakeholders in different domains
D2.1 Mixed-media research corpus
D2.2 Prototypes for the experiential futures workshops.
D3.1 Work Plan, a more detailed description of the pioneering initiatives and how they engaged with young people
D3.2 Focus group template.
D3.3 Summary report, we detailed our findings on how the pioneering initiatives appeal to youngsters and how this relates to their drivers and involvement as well as their relations to oceans, seas and waters.
D4.1 Final Agenda and Methodology for the workshops
D5.1 Refined and tested blueprints for stewardship assemblages
D1.2 inFLOW Conceptual lens
D1.3 Stakeholders in changing human-water relations. FLOW Report is a comprehensive overview of relevant stakeholders in different domains
D2.1 Mixed-media research corpus
D2.2 Prototypes for the experiential futures workshops.
D3.1 Work Plan, a more detailed description of the pioneering initiatives and how they engaged with young people
D3.2 Focus group template.
D3.3 Summary report, we detailed our findings on how the pioneering initiatives appeal to youngsters and how this relates to their drivers and involvement as well as their relations to oceans, seas and waters.
D4.1 Final Agenda and Methodology for the workshops
D5.1 Refined and tested blueprints for stewardship assemblages