Why this toolkit

The LNOB Toolkit consists of (1) LNOB workshop materials that introduce the concepts of Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) and the pledge to "Leave No One Behind' along with guidance on running this workshop with internal stakeholders; (2) a description of workshop facilitation methods to reflect and discuss how these concepts might be relevant in the context of one's own Citizen Observatory (CO) along with guidance on running such workshops; and (3) sign-posted guidance regarding tools or methods to enable or improve diverse and representative inclusion throughout the activities and lifecycle of the CO.

Rather than focusing on groups of people according to specific characteristics that could signal that they are marginalised, such as their gender, ethnicity, or mobility, the Toolkit seeks to encourage awareness of different vulnerabilities and factors that can cause people to be 'left behind'. A contextual understanding of the ways in which these factors intersect allows more effective measures to be designed and taken to bridge these gaps and short comings.

Depending on the scope and intention of any given CO, different communities could be contacted and invited to participate actively, and ways can be found to ensure that the unequal impacts of the environmental factor under investigation are being taken into account (such as poorer air quality in disadvantaged zones of the city), such that the needs of people thus affected are addressed. It should be emphasised that it is not possible to engage all groups in the activities of any given CO (let alone all COs), nor should that be the aim. It may not be possible for people to engage in the core activities of the CO for a variety of reasons, such as lack of time and resources, or much more urgent issues in their day to day lives. Guidance on how to ensure that their voices and needs are also represented is thus also contained within the Toolkit.

The main objectives for achieving diverse engagement within urban COs include (1) raising awareness of and interest in environmental issues amongst residents from across more areas of the city, (2) involving a diverse and representative range of people in observing their environment and sharing these data and insights towards more robust and effective action taking, and (3) enabling diverse and representative involvement in citizen-led actions. When opportunities for such actions are created or facilitated by the CO itself, they should have attention for enabling the inclusive co-design and co-creation of solutions to tackle environmental issues (such as by reducing air pollution) in a way that can meet the needs and objectives of a wide and diverse range of participants (such as improved health or mobility). Particular attention should be paid to the needs of minoritized groups who may be inequitably impacted by environmental issues and have a stake in the outcomes of any actions taken to address those issues.