Enhancing Capacity for Change

1. Enhancing Capacity for Change Youth Leadership for Sustainability A community capacity building program for Australia RMIT and the International Young Professionals Foundation

2. Introduction to the Initiative • RMIT, an Australian University (www.rmit.edu.au), and the IYPF, an Australian youth-led organisation (www.iypf.org), are collaborating to implement an evidence-based community capacity building program for youth leadership on sustainability issues • RMIT and the IYPF are partnering with individuals and organisations in Australian communities to implement this program • Through support from the Australian Research Council, RMIT and IYPF are evaluating the process and impact of the program in enhancing capacity for change and facilitating youth leadership for sustainability

3. Background to the Program • In 2003 & 2004, the Australian Government’s National Youth Affairs Research Scheme (NYARS) funded research on enabling young people as effective change agents for more sustainable consumption in their communities • This research, a collaboration between IYPF & Griffith University, involved the following: • A review of academic and policy-related literature, including techniques to empower young people and a review of sustainable consumption tools and strategies • A national youth survey (224 respondents) & face-to-face discussions with key youth reps and young Australians • The design, implementation and evaluation of a Capacity Building for Sustainable Consumption Change Agents in Australia program, which included 5 sustainable consumption workshops • A review of a wide range of good practice case studies • A discussion of sustainable consumption policies and implications for youth sector policy implementation

4. Background continued • From the research, NYARS published a report titled “Sustainable Consumption: Young Australians as Agents of Change” in February 2005 • This report is available online from: http://www.iypf.org/IYPF-projects.htm#YouthSC • The researchers at Griffith University moved to RMIT • A Working Group of Australian young people, other supporters and organisations was formed by the IYPF to pursue the further implementation of the capacity building program

5. What We Learned from the Research • For effective engagement of young people in leadership towards more sustainable consumption in Australian communities, we need to: • Address young people’s ambivalence and lack of clarity about how to make positive change • Create processes for overcoming barriers to more sustainable consumption • Put young Australians in a position of leadership in their communities • Support young Australians to develop ‘action competence’

6. What We Learned continued Action Competence • The Missing Link in moving from awareness to action for sustainability • Research shows that the most significant factors in changing consumption behaviour: • Intrinsic motivation • Awareness of appropriate consumption actions • Skill in practising such actions • ‘Education FOR Sustainable Development” • Need to connect learning and skill development with SC content area (active citizenship / youth development)

7. What We Learned continued Implementation of pilot capacity building program for youth leadership on sustainability • Consisted of 2 major components: • Train-the-Trainer (TTT) workshops • Youth Workshops • Involved identifying and supporting local host organisations • Youth Workshop participants received a Sustainable Consumption Workbook to keep • Workshop evaluations (incl. post workshop) • 5 locations: Sydney (Pilot), Adelaide, Bendigo, Brisbane, Mornington Peninsula (Vic) • Approx. 15-20 participants in each workshop • Designed to have TTT participants mentor and support youth action after the workshops and run additional Youth Workshops in the future

8. Feedback & Success from the pilot Many participants successfully undertook individual action when they got home However, community/group action was constrained by several factors (e.g. time, resources, confidence) 90% of Train-The-Trainer participants found the sessions useful for incorporating sustainable consumption into their own work plans 87% of youth workshop participants found the session quite useful or very useful I think it was really good. I learnt a lot of things that I didn’t know and it involved everyone (male, 16, Mornington) I came here not knowing what this was about and left knowing a lot and also knowing how to improve to become more sustainable in consuming (female, 17, Bendigo) What We Learned Continued

9. What We Learned continued To improve the program, and enhance outcomes, we need to: • Review and enhance the youth workshop – some tools/aspects considered less helpful than others • Provide youth workshop participants with kits to take away after the workshops to support action and awareness raising amongst other young people • Send out summaries of the youth workshop discussions to all participants • Include planning in the youth workshops for follow up meetings and educating and talking with others • Provide more active follow-up activities and support for action • Convene the train-the-trainer workshop a few weeks to a month prior to the youth workshop, and then facilitating a follow up TTT session after the youth workshop • Seek to embed support for youth leadership in to the broader community • Employ a person in the community responsible for follow up

10. Where Are We Now? • Development of a revised community capacity building process based on the pilot and evaluation • Strengthening of the Australian Working Group • Working with communities in regional Victoria and the ACT to secure funds to implement the new program in 2006 and beyond • Disseminating results of the research to stimulate interest and activity around youth and sustainability • Secured an Australian Research Council grant of $175k over 3 years to evaluate the new program + do additional research on youth and sustainable consumption issues • Meetings with additional stakeholders interested in the project

11. The Community Capacity Building Program • Community Engagement • work with local interest to identify key local stakeholders and involve them in decision making about the program • Convene a Community Planning Session • link the program to local activities, embed youth & sustainability in program planning for existing groups, determine how to fund & resource follow up activities after the youth workshop, develop local ownership and commitment, identify community resources that can be used • Run Train-the-Trainer workshop • to train co-facilitators and eventual workshop facilitators, introduce mentors and coaches for the program • Run the Youth Workshop (see later slide) • Action Phase • Community delivery to youth workshop participants of mentoring, access to resources, ongoing face-to-face networking, small grants for projects, supported by paid person in the community • Review & Celebration • Run an Awards program to recognise contribution and achievement of young Australians, mentors, community supporters, etc.

12. The Community Capacity Building Program Purpose: Helping young Australians to discover for themselves the changes which are most meaningful for them and helping them to develop the action skills or competence to actually change their consumption patterns and that of their community Aim: To inform, inspire and equip young Australians to take action and demonstrate leadership towards more sustainable local communities with the support of their community. This includes personal actions (i.e. lifestyle changes), individual projects, and collective projects.

13. The Community Capacity Building Program The Youth Workshop Topics • Ecological Footprint survey and group exercise (barriers and solutions) • Introduction to international initiatives, e.g. UNESCO YouthXchange project • Local Sustainability Guides activity • Case studies of young Australian sustainability leaders • The role of the media and culture jamming • Action Planning • Discussion of Sustainability related resources

14. The Community Capacity Building Program • The idea behind the program is that through engaging key community stakeholders, the program will continue in future years … and also youth leadership for sustainability will be implemented in to the activities of existing community groups • The program also recognises that much of ‘sustainable development’ is about building partnerships and collaboration between organisations and institutions – community decision making and collaboration is key to this program • Ongoing program activities, successes, progress, etc. is overseen at a community level by a steering group that is appointed from the initial community planning meeting • Co-facilitators trained in year one will be supported by RMIT and IYPF to run the youth workshops in subsequent years, with more training delivered as necessary • It is through the delivery of post-Youth Workshop mentoring, networking, small grants, access to resources that young people will develop Action Competence • Awards provide an opportunity to assess impact, promote the program, and attract additional supporters and young people in future years

15. The ARC Grant • RMIT has received an ARC grant of $175k to build on the research done for NYARS • The ARC grant will: • Fund a PhD student, research support, materials, etc. • Provide an ongoing evidence-base for effective community capacity building for youth leadership on sustainability issues through action research on the implementation of the program throughout 2006/07 • Contribute additional knowledge to understanding young Australians attitudes and behaviour in relation to sustainability

16. Wrap Up • RMIT & IYPF have developed a community capacity building program for Australia to assist communities in developing and supporting young people to take leadership on sustainability issues • This program is based on research and the evaluation of a pilot program • The program will continue to evolve through action research on its process and impact, funded by an ARC grant to RMIT • RMIT & IYPF wishes to partner with individuals and organisations in Australian communities to implement this program, as steps towards a national framework and program

17. More Information Prof John Fien @ RMIT john.fien@rmit.edu.au Cameron Neil @ IYPF  +61 (0) 402 072 452  cameronneil@iypf.org Working Group http://www.iypf.org/IYPF-projects.htm#YouthSC Project Updates http://www.tigblog.org/group/otherwise