Citizen Initiatives Case Study Research Pack

Purpose: This pack helps members of the Citizen Infrastructure Builders Club (CIBC) conduct semi-structured interviews with citizen-led initiatives to understand how they are born and how they evolve, for example from crisis response to stable community projects. It focuses on identifying changing needs, capacities, and what support systems have worked or failed, to inform future tool and support design.

This is a working doc, please dd ideas/ suggested questions/ additional areas of enquiry etc

How to Use

1. Choose the short or long version of each bucket depending on available time.
2. Use prompts to explore experiences, stories, and reflections rather than yes/no answers.
3. Record notes directly in the tables provided or on a digital copy for later synthesis.
4. Capture the initiative’s evolution across phases: emergency → recovery → stabilisation → long-term project.
5. Check the design thinking sensemaking framework to capture additional key insights, contradictions, and support needs you might have identified through the discussion bit haven’t yet captured.

1. People & Skills

Subtopics: Leadership and roles, Learning and adaptability, Wellbeing and motivation

Short Interview Prompts

• Who took initiative when things started? How did roles evolve?
• What new skills or knowledge did people gain?
• How do people stay motivated or care for each other?

Long Interview Prompts

• Tell me about how leadership and responsibilities changed from crisis to now. Who stepped up and how did that feel?
• What have been the most important skills people have developed, and how are they shared?
• How has wellbeing—mental, emotional, physical—been supported over time?

2. Trust & Collaboration

Subtopics: Networks and relationships, Decision-making and participation, Communication and transparency