You should now have a clear idea about the purpose of your project, the impact you want to achieve with it and the budget available. This means that you are ready to make a rough sketch of the process from A to Z that should of course fit into the decision-making process.
Making a short project description of 2-3 pages is a good starting point. In this description, you could include:
In the timeline, you should outline the activities you need to carry out to cross the finishing line – face-to-face as well as online activities – and when they will take place. At this stage, it will already be useful to consult the OPIN Decision Support Tool* to get an idea about the online process schemes and features which are offered on OPIN. For inspiration for face-to-face methods we recommend that you consult the Engage2020 Action Catalogue which is an interactive method catalogue for public participation. In the Preparation Phase we will provide more tips and tricks for designing a suitable participatory process, so it is not necessary to detail the methods at this stage.
When you sketch the process keep the budget in mind! There is no point in planning a process that is very time-consuming and expensive if your budget is very limited. Time is money. Therefore, it can be highly useful to detail your budget and allocate resources to the different activities. Then you will know how many working hours you can spend on planning, let’s say, the launch of the project. Such a detailed overview will reduce the risks of exceeding the budget.
This is only your initial sketch of the project. You should still be open to modifying it (and remember to update your budget accordingly!) because now it is time to meet the young participants and your endorsers with decision-making power and ask for their feedback on the initial sketch of the project.
*To get access to the Decision Support Tool you have to register your organisation on OPIN. You can try out the different OPIN features and get more information on the registration process here.