Description

This training session covered the issue of burnout within the contexts of the third sector and climate change action specifically. It covered some theories of burnout, how our nervous systems work, how and why it happens, how we can notice it and what we can do about it. With a mix of peer to peer support opportunities, theory, testimonies from lived experience and practical exercises in how to build resilience, this training illustrated how working in a sustainable way is part of building a sustainable world.

Training providers

The rest of activism

The Rest of Activism is a burnout prevention and recovery programme supporting world healers and changers. With a focus on the climate crisis, but now open to all justice-focused activists, it offers bespoke training, online self-guided courses, weekly newsletters, and network meetings.

Jo Musker-Sherwood

Hi, I’m Jo Musker-Sherwood and for six years I directed a small campaign to become one of the UK’s fastest growing climate charities influencing at all levels of government. 

I loved it. Whenever I felt anxious about climate change, I turned up to my work feeling good that I could make a difference.  Until, I didn’t anymore. 

I worked more and more, but felt less and less satisfied. Funding pressures took a grip, emails mounted up, I never switched off. As I watched climate impacts continue to unfold across the world, I became jaded, cynical, hopeless. Then my body started talking to me. Before long, I was so burned out I couldn’t work and I found myself in and out of hospital with symptoms that doctors couldn’t get to the bottom of.

Work had been my antidote to my climate anxiety, and when I couldn’t do that anymore, I fell apart.

This is the heavier side of environmental work. And whilst my example is a pretty extreme one, it can affect anyone trying to do something good in the world.

But here I am, on the other side, with both my wellbeing and deep sense of purpose restored. Sure, I still grieve, get angry, have moments of despair. But it no longer immobilises me or takes away my joy. In fact, I have come to see it as a necessary part of it.

I now research resilience strategies for climate activists whilst writing, mentoring, and consulting for many of the UK's most influential environmental NGOs. You can find out more about my offerings below, and subscribe to my weekly mailings for free resilience strategies.

Description

This session explored different aspects of measuring environmental impact from a community and systems perspective, including community led carbon audits, documenting processes and ‘community decarbonisation’ techniques, with examples from the Carbon Neutral Islands project and the Island Centre for Net Zero. The session also included an exploration of some of the wider structural aspects within the net zero landscape, as well as thinking about how to do this work in a complex landscape that feels like it’s constantly changing.

Training providers

Community Energy Scotland

Community Energy Scotland is Scotland’s only national charity dedicated to supporting communities across Scotland to develop their own decarbonisation & renewable energy projects. Our vision is of communities actively shaping a low-carbon society that values wellbeing for all. We work with communities and our partners to support, promote, and represent the community energy sector. We do this by providing technical assistance, knowledge sharing, and championing the role of community-led action in the transition to a low-carbon future.

Carbon Neutral Islands

The Carbon Neutral Islands (CNI) is a Scottish Government funded project which aims to deliver carbon neutrality for six Scottish islands. The project started by working with these six ‘lighthouse communities’ to deliver multi-sector carbon audits, community climate action plans (CCAPs). Now the project is developing these actions into projects which can be taken forward. A key objective of the project is to share knowledge with the other 87 inhabited Scottish islands and beyond, which brings CES to share learnings from the project and others here today.

Islands Centre for Net Zero

The Islands Centre for Net Zero (ICNZ) is an Islands Growth Deal funded programme to support Orkney, Shetland, and the Outer Hebrides to become leaders in the energy transition.  ICNZ is a consortium of multiple partner organisations across the three island groups - EMEC, Community Energy Scotland, Aquatera, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, Orkney Islands Council, Shetland Islands Council, and Heriot Watt University.

 ICNZ aims to build upon the islands' natural resources, skills and assets and bring the tools needed to deliver a lasting fair and inclusive community-driven energy transition. To ensure that the knowledge, experience, and expertise of island communities drives this process the Island Community Action Network (iCAN), led by CES, will be central to ICNZ activities. 

green futures network

The Green Futures Network is a free way for any organisation – businesses, community groups, local government, charities – to access up-to-date environmental information, from cutting edge research to brand new resources, and contribute to collective approaches to the emerging climate and ecological emergencies and the changes they are bringing. The Network is run by the University of Exeter, and is open to any organisation wanting to access events, resources, updates, communities of practice and more.

Cameron Duff

Cameron Duff is a Technical Officer at CES, who has been working primarily on the CNI project to deliver the six carbon audits, assist the island communities complete their action plans, and provide technical guidance for projects and feasibility work to CES's member communities. Prior to joining CES, he worked as an engineering consultant in Glasgow before completing a Master’s in Sustainability & Environmental Studies at Strathclyde University.

Becky Ford

Becky Ford is a Development Officer for CES, working with community organisations across Orkney, Shetland, and the Outer Hebrides to establish the Island Community Action Network, as part of ICNZ. Prior to joining CES Becky completed her PhD with the Institute for Northern Studies UHI, where she continues to have a role as a relief lecturer. Her interdisciplinary doctoral thesis is entitled, 'Words and Waves: ecological dialogism as an approach to discourse, community, and marine renewable energy in Orkney.'

peter lefort

Peter Lefort runs the Green Futures Network at the University of Exeter, which works to increase access to the latest climate and environmental research. He is also a facilitator and coach who works with people and organisations working with complex challenges in the face of systemic uncertainty.

Description

In this practical workshop, we heard stories about how community engagement and policy engagement can drive social change. We also learned more about our own strengths and the different paths we can take to make a difference. Dave and Catherine-Rose from the Scottish Policy and Research Exchange deliver the workshop and shared some stories from their experience. They also facilitated individual and small group working to explore examples of power within our won contexts.

Training providers

Scottish Policy research exchange

The Scottish Policy and Research Exchange works with research, knowledge mobilisation and policy communities to improve how evidence and expertise shapes policy. Their digital resources are available to help people plan who to engage with and when it’s the best time to do so.  
They also run the Brokerage, a network of researchers, knowledge mobilisers, and policy professionals who have an interest in improving how evidence and expertise shapes policy. Through the network, they share formal and informal opportunities for research-policy engagement, and create spaces for relationship-building and shared learning.

Catherine-Rose Stocks-Rankin

Catherine-Rose is a researcher and knowledge mobiliser with 15 years’ experience across community development, social work, social care, public health, primary and secondary care. She holds a PhD in Social Policy from the University of Edinburgh and specialises in participatory approaches to research design and systems leadership. She also has specialist expertise in monitoring and evaluation for learning (specifically developmental evaluation and contribution analysis).

Her leadership and methods create a bridge between different kinds of knowledge, with a focus on blending lived experience, practice wisdom, policy know-how, and research evidence. She is also the Co-Chair for the Social Action Inquiry for Scotland, which focuses on what helps and hinders community-led change.  

Catherine-Rose is also a carer, an aspiring writer and a cat-parent to a deaf cat called Reuben. 

Dave Blackbell

Dave is a knowledge mobilisation specialist. He has a PhD in climate science and 10 years professional experience in various policy, research, research management and knowledge mobilisation roles, largely focused on policy challenges around climate change and sustainability.

Dave’s leadership at SPRE centres around how to support capacities for more ethical, equitable and effective systems and practices. He is particularly interested in how to apply insights from intersectionality, participatory action research and complexity-aware impact monitoring, evaluation and learning.

Dave is also a new dad, a partner and an enthusiastic dog-parent to a rescue dog called Korra.

Description

This training looked at how we can effectively facilitate and lead on projects, with a focus on managing volunteers. How to meaningfully engage volunteers in a project without being extractive and placing undue burden on them? How to ensure that volunteers feel well enough supported and are getting something out of the opportunity, whilst also supporting the sustainable development of the community organisation/group itself? How to hold onto volunteers once you’ve recruited them? This training offered some practical tips and best practice, whilst also exploring a variety of sustainable leadership techniques that can support both project leaders and volunteers.

Training providers

Luthien Lark

Luthien Lark joined HTSI in May 2023, she initially started off her career working in mental health services, both rurally and in Aberdeen city. Luthien then went on to study Psychology MA Honours and Person Centered Counselling at the University of Aberdeen graduating in 2010, after which she was involved in developing a successful pilot Employability project to determine the training and support needs of those furthest from the job market in Aberdeen. Luthien has since lectured in Health and Social Care, before returning to Employability, Training & Recruitment in both the funded and commercial sectors. Outwith work, she has a fondness for horses, creative arts, music (she can be known to play guitar and sing on occasion), writes poetry and promotes the importance of a thriving, creative culture in the Highlands.

Lauren Pyott

Lauren Pyott is the founder and former Managing Director of Clachworks, a social enterprise in Inverness that runs a tool library and aims to bring social justice to the environmental movement in the Highlands. She has an ILM Certificate in Leadership Skills, has completed several courses on community development, and was awarded Best Social Impact in the UHI Business Awards 2021, through her work with Clachworks. She has previously worked as a Arabic-English translator, editor, researcher, lecturer and organiser of cultural events and festivals across the Middle East and Scotland. She now works as the Network Coordinator for Science Ceilidh, running the Highlands & Islands Climate Change Community Researcher Network, and Community Knowledge Matters: A Highlands & Islands Network for Community-Led Research.