This is a CTP of initiative: Transition Bro Gwaun (UK)
This CTP relates to two separate one-day training sessions held in March 2011 that, nonetheless, collectively informed how the organizers of TBG developed their projects. These included: a) training in Community Based Social Marketing, and b) training delivered by the Climate Outreach and Information Network (COIN).
At core, the organizers of TBG had realized that getting through to people in the community was hard work. For the same faces tended to turn up to the meetings. Consequently, they began looking around for ideas relating to overcome their limited appeal to the general public.
Specifically, their Environment Wales development officer (see also CTP 103) was very interested in Community Based Social Marketing (CBSM). As such, two or three members of the organizing team went to a CBSM training day up in Cardiff.
Furthermore, the development officer also steered them towards George Marshall of COIN (Climate Outreach and Information Network – Now Climate Outreach). TBG contacted him and asked him if he would do a training for them and he agreed (COIN was based in Oxford but he lived in Wales).
The COIN approach focuses on how you adapt your message for different audiences (new framing). For example, not everyone is interested in polar bears or green issues. TBG realized that the films they showed were all about their ‘green’ interests. Instead, the COIN approach suggested that you need different messages for different people. They suggest focus groups and questionnaires for eliciting feedback from the community. They promote the piloting of activity and the core assertion hat groups such as TBG should be aware that people often say what they think they should say, or what they think that people want to hear.
The trainings (particularly the COIN training) informed the approaches they took to future project development (along with other influences).
This CTP took the form of two one-day facilitated workshops delivered by experts in the approaches. The Community Based Social Marketing workshop was held in Cardiff. The COIN training was held in Dinas.
TBG organized the COIN training session. People from their core group and some other local transition initiatives attended. A number of people from some other local environmental groups also attended - including a member of an eco-centre, a renewable energy group and some of the Environment Wales development workers. It was funded by an Environment Wales grant of £400 matched with volunteer time from TBG.
The experience of not getting through to ‘non-green’ people contributed to the decision to have the training events. They weren’t bringing in many new people to their existing projects and events. For example, cookery demonstrations went well at the farmers market but, once again, you are talking to people who believe in buying local.
They had also tried to set up a local credit union service point as part of a bigger credit union. This had never really taken-off to attract a wide range of users who might benefit from this kind of service. As such, organizers felt that whilst they were networking well with other local green organizations, they could not reach non-green people in the locality.
After the training, they used the techniques that they learned when researching and piloting ideas for the surplus food project. This was originally orientated around a food bank, but people didn’t actually want to use one, so the project became oriented around a café.
They also followed the COIN training advice in reaching out to people by putting on two meals in a local pub made out of surplus food: one for the ‘great and the good’ and one for anybody.
Thus, the learning from the training influenced the strategy for how the food waste (and other) project was developed. It made TBG focus on what people need / want, not what they thought they wanted.
The training was about being able to work with a wide range of people whilst keeping core guiding principles intact. This kind of work can be difficult and can face hostility. Some people find it a challenge, so the training helped in accustoming organizers with relevant frame alignment techniques. TBG members are, sometimes, perceived as ‘greener than green’ , which can be a barrier to engagement: there is a danger that environmentalists can become browbeaten and critical of the rest of society which prevents engagement. This training helped to prevent that.
Some "traditionalists" allegedly found the COIN approach a bit unconventional. For such frame alignment approaches took them out of their comfort zones. However, this was a minor issue, and people generally went with the new approach to reaching out to the broader local community.
The training received felt important at the time, but they didn’t realize how much effect it would have on the surplus food project which has attracted a wide range of volunteers including people who are not interested in green issues or climate change at all.
The training enabled new knowing and new doing. The organizers involved learned specific techniques and a philosophy for engaging with a wider audience which informed future work.
This has been relevant in achieving their goal of reaching out to the wider community. For the organizers realized that working in partnership and piggybacking things was a more effective strategy - even with regards to non-green groups too (e.g. Rotary, Lions, etc).
These techniques are still relevant nowadays.
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