Learnings & Retrospective

This project made me reflect deeply on the relationship between the participants and the project team, both before and after interviews, workshops, and the project itself. I feel a greater responsibility to keep participants in the loop, ensuring that they are informed and thanked for their involvement. It's important not to just "extract" personal information but to respect and honor the trust they've placed in sharing it. Our group discussed how vital it is to reconnect after the project’s conclusion, share the results, and properly express gratitude to everyone involved.
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In one sense this project touched upon a wicked problem. The police want to make youth feel safe and heard, yet their role in law enforcement often makes it hard to foster a trusting relationship. Additionally, a young person’s relationship with the police can vary greatly depending on their background. Through this project, we aimed to shift the focus away from the police being the first point of contact and instead emphasized the importance of collaboration with other stakeholders, like NGOs. This creates a supportive network around youth, helping guide them to the appropriate form of help.​​

Thoughts on workshops: One key takeaway from this project is how to design effective workshops. In our first workshop, we over-prepared with too many elements, which made it difficult to engage the participants effectively. In the second workshop, we simplified the format, which worked much better for activating creativity. Preparing in detail for a workshop can, however, be valuable in narrowing the project's focus, as creating materials forces you to define the direction. Additionally, I learned that the success of a workshop depends not only on its structure but also on the participants' energy and willingness to engage. Moving forward, I’ll focus on creating a comfortable atmosphere before the workshop even begins to encourage open-minded participation.