# Localization and evidence

## Build a brief from available evidence

Capture the community boundary (place, membership, or shared practice), desired
change, existing initiatives, participating perspectives, missing perspectives,
languages, access needs, time, money, infrastructure, and delivery channel.
Avoid a mandatory long interview. Ask about the few unknowns that would materially
change the work; record low-risk assumptions explicitly.

For a location-free request, create a reusable draft and questions for localization.
Never invent a real shelter, support phone number, evacuation route, service area,
eligibility rule, partner commitment, or community consensus.

## Keep a small source record

For each consequential claim record: claim, source/locator, date checked, geographic
scope, evidence type, affected module, and unresolved questions. Use these statuses:

- Verified: checked against a source suitable for this claim in this run.
- Supplied: present in user material or an explicitly fictional exercise fixture;
  not independently verified.
- Unresolved: missing, conflicting, or insufficient evidence.

Official local sources can establish service details; residents can establish what
they experienced. A service listing alone cannot prove that residents can reach or
trust it. An organizer's account cannot establish what every resident prefers.

When two sources conflict, compare authority for the specific claim, jurisdiction,
publication/update dates, and the event date. Keep both locators in the record.
If the conflict remains material, name it and avoid relying on the disputed detail.
Live links and safety-critical advice from an old handbook require fresh checks.

Keep participant citations short; put full evidence and unresolved issues in source
notes. Do not clutter exercises with the agent's research process.

## Make local differences change decisions

| Constraint | Design consequence |
|---|---|
| Renters cannot alter the building | Choose actions they control; mark owner-dependent work as a proposal |
| Unreliable internet | Print essential steps; practice an offline alternative |
| Multiple languages | Budget interpretation time; arrange competent language review |
| Limited cash or storage | Offer no-purchase actions; avoid mandatory stockpiles |
| Inconsistent attendance | Supply a short catch-up activity and a way to decline assignments |
| No confirmed helpers | Do not rely on a roster; use an explicit acceptance step and fallback |

Record capabilities and contributions as well as needs. People should decide what
support to request and what information to share. Keep names, health information,
household vulnerabilities, and private contact details out of public guide examples.

## Adapt and revise

Keep a compact change map: old section → new evidence/feedback → change → affected
worksheet/host instruction → check. Preserve useful content. A feedback report that
an exercise ran long should lead to changed timing or activity scope, not merely a
sentence telling the facilitator to watch the clock.