In cooperation with the SPOTTERON Citizen Science App Platform a project takes place regarding digital civic participation of youth
In October, the scientific assistants, Asnāte Kalēja and Laura Brutāne, at the Institute of Culture and Arts (KMI) of the Latvian Academy of Culture (LKA), along with 4th-year students of the LKA sub-program “Culture and Arts Studies,” Marta Dieviņa and Andis Daugavvanags, began LKA funded research project “Possibilities of the photo elicitation method in promoting digital civic participation of youth: the example of the urban environment of Riga, Latvia”, in which mobile app “CiVo - Citizen Voice” running on the SPOTTERON Citizen Science App Platform (https://www.spotteron.net) is co-used to document civic participation of youth in the urban environment of Riga.
The aim of the study is to determine how the photo elicitation method via mobile app “CiVo - Citizen Voice”, can be applied to explore youth civic participation in supporting the development processes of the urban environment across Riga. By using visual documentation via the digital tool, the study will provide an opportunity for young people to express their experiences, observations, and possible change required in the urban spaces, as well as promote dialogue between the community and researchers. Photo elicitation as a participatory method will reveal the subjective perception of the urban environment, while the mobile App “CiVo - Citizen Voice” will enable the collection of this data, strengthen youth civic engagement, and foster active discussion in the digital space regarding the observations made.
During October, the participants involved in the study (20 young people) use the digital toolbox of “CiVo - Citizen Voice” to capture important places in the urban environment of Riga in the form of photographs (aka “spots”), reflecting on their significance, technical condition, and also evaluating the necessary improvements. In addition, a focus group discussion will be held at the end of the project with the involved participants.
CiVo - Citizen Voice
The project “Possibilities of the photo elicitation method in promoting digital civic participation of youth: the example of the urban environment of Riga, Latvia” is implemented with the financial support of LAC, within the framework of the LAC research project grant call.
More information regarding the mobile app “CiVo - Citizen Voice” and its co-use possibilities available under the SPOTTERON home page:https://www.spotteron.net/custom-citizen-science-tools/co-use-programm-for-project-collaboration-in-citizen-science-apps