Introduction to Campaigning – workshops

Is your New Year’s resolution to get more involved with campaigning for a better world?

2021 is going to be a big year for people and the planet – in Scotland there will be an election, recovery plans and the UN Climate Summit coming to Glasgow in November.

Do you want to get active?

We know that lots of people want to make a difference in their community and for the climate but sometimes don’t know where or how to start.

Would you like to see less cars outside the local school? A reduction in plastic waste? An end to North Sea oil and gas? Does your pension fund still invest in fossil fuel companies? Are you not sure, you just want to do something?

What does it involve?

This Introduction to Campaigning course is designed to support people who want to get involved, but aren’t sure how.

Covering everything from what a campaign actually is and how to choose an issue to work on, to the basics of how to organise a protest, this course will skill you up to get involved in the fight of our lives.

With the eyes of the world on Scotland’s climate action this year, we have a real opportunity to make progress towards building a better Scotland and a world that works for people and the planet.

This is the perfect time to get involved and start talking to your friends and neighbours about how you can come together to take action for real change.

Who is it for?

The course is free to attend and open to all. It will take place over 8 online workshops between now and May 2021. Just click Register on Workshop 1 below to get started.

If you have any questions about the course or accessibility needs, feel free to get in touch at activism [at] foe.scot

Workshop Programme

Introduction to Campaigning: First steps

Wednesday 27th January 2021, 6-8pm

Looking at the different ways to be involved in the climate movement in Scotland, with a chance to reflect on what might be most suitable for you.

Introduction to Campaigning: What is Climate Justice?

Wednesday 10th February 2021, 6-8pm

How can we root our climate campaigning within the push for a fairer world for everyone?

Exploring the concept of ‘climate justice’, which is a driving principle in the global climate movement and a key part of the conversation in the lead up to the UN Climate Talks.

An introduction to the ways in which climate change, and some of the proposed solutions, create greater inequality in Scotland and globally.

Introduction to Campaigning: Where to start?

Wednesday 24th February 2021, 6-8pm

Not sure how to start campaigning on the climate crisis?

One of the most powerful ways to make change is to join with other people to push for something you all believe in.

This session will focus on how to find people to organise with, identify allies and start to build a group.

Introduction to Campaigning: Building a group

Wednesday 10th March 2021, 6-8pm

Organising with a group of people can be a great experience – making new friends, having a community to share your concerns and ideas with and feeling powerful as a collective. However, it can also be really challenging.

This session will explore some of the pitfalls and challenges that groups encounter and give you a chance to think through ways to build a welcoming and well functioning group.

This is open to those in existing groups, new groups and those looking to get involved in a campaign group.

Introduction to Campaigning: Choosing a target

Wednesday 24th March 2021, 6-8pm

The climate crisis is a huge issue that involves almost everything about how we travel, eat and live.

While something like ‘stopping climate change’ or ‘ending inequality’ may be our overarching goals, these aren’t particularly useful for giving us tangible, winnable things to campaign on.

In this session we will look at how breaking down an issue into smaller targets can be an effective way to tackle big problems. We will explore how to identify issues to campaign on which are winnable and move us collectively closer to those huge overarching goals.

This is open to those in existing groups, new groups and those looking to get involved in a campaign group.

Introduction to Campaigning: Developing a Strategy

Wednesday 14th April 2021, 6-8pm

Lets get strategic!

Organising to make real change means that we need to choose our target and our tactics carefully. Who has the power to make the change we want? What does our group have the capacity to achieve? What impact might these actions have on our group and members?

Strategy doesn’t have to be complicated, or unchangeable. Think of it like a map so that you can get stuck in with your journey without getting lost along the way.

Introduction to Campaigning: Escalating your Tactics

Wednesday 21st April 2021, 6-8pm

If you’ve tried a few tactics and you feel like your campaign isn’t getting anywhere, it may be time to escalate.

This doesn’t necessarily mean doing something high risk or illegal, there are a million ways to take action that put another level of pressure on decision makers.

Whatever you do, it is important to make sure that you and your group are informed and prepared.

Introduction to Friends of the Earth Scotland Campaigns

Wednesday 12th May 2021, 6-8pm

Friends of the Earth Scotland campaigns for climate justice in Scotland and across the world by focusing on a handful of key campaigns.

Hear about our campaigns on air pollution, waste, removing finances from the fossil fuel industry and green jobs, how we plan to win big and how you can get involved.