Working with an advisory group to co-create innovative intergenerational climate change research

This article discusses the opportunities of working with an Advisory Group on intergenerational climate change research. We co-created creative workshops to explore and articulate climate change perceptions and future imaginaries between younger and older people in Wales, UK. This 12-month programme of research activities led to a bilingual (Welsh and English) and bespoke comic, and a follow-up project that co-created an intergenerational activity book. Using a research diary format, we show how to practically follow the Responsible Research and Innovation dimensions of inclusion, reflexivity, anticipation, and responsiveness during the data collection stage. The opportunities for co-creation discussed here relate to two main areas: imagining and communicating futures through intergenerational workshops; and the extent to which the Advisory Group were co-creators. The voices of four members of the Advisory Group and the work of comic book artist show the benefits of an early involvement of time, resource and trust in a group who are potential critics, advocates, and bridge-builders. We make four recommendations: the importance of time and imagination in intergenerational climate research; the value of Advisory Groups in improving participatory methods; the need for sustained community-university partnerships and that Advisory Groups should be involved from the very beginning of research.