Principles and Tools for Engaging Communities in Climate Action 2024 Fall

Principles and tools for engaging communities in climate action (this is not a self-paced course)

November 11 – 29, 2024

Drawing on past research, best practices and successful pilot projects, students will become familiar with principles and techniques for effective neighbourhood-scale engagement. They will apply selected  Coolkit activities and templates on community mapping, future visioning, and developing local Climate Action Plans which prioritize actions that reduce carbon footprints and build community resilience. Participants will learn how community engagement processes and practices can reach beyond ‘the usual suspects’ and scale-up engagement of regular Canadians (homeowners and renters)  in both urban and rural communities across BC  and Canada, building adaptive capacity and delivering co-benefits such as improved social cohesion, mental and physical health, volunteerism and youth employment.

Skills and Competencies

• Conduct a SWOT analysis for community profiling: to assess a community’s perceptions of climate change, demographic profile, high-priority needs, and potential barriers to action 
• Facilitate community discussions on climate change using interactive activities such as the CIMA neighbourhood tour and visualization/mapping exercises (provided in the Coolkit) 
• Develop a feasible climate action plan using the SMART framework