Deadline: 31-Aug-20
Are you engaged in a sustainability project and currently looking for ways how to maximise your positive impact? Moreover, are you keen on exploring which insights and tools might help you to reach this goal? If yes, then apply for this training programme.
weiter_wirken – Communicating Sustainability Successfully (Nachhaltigkeit Erfolgreich Vermitteln), is designed to support professionals and volunteers from the NGO sector in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) in achieving more sustainable behaviours within their target groups. The programme is in German.
Changing behaviours towards greater sustainability is key, yet a very complex task to achieve. Oftentimes, sustainable intentions are not matched with sustainable actions. For example, according to Growth from Knowledge (GfK), while 45% of German consumers indicate that sustainability considerations influence their fashion purchasing decisions, fair fashion continues to only account for 0.3% of total sales in Germany. Overcoming this intention-action gap not only requires challenging existing belief systems and unsustainable practices, but also coming up with creative ways to introduce and promote more sustainable ones.
The training programme ‘weiter_wirken’ – Communicating Sustainability Successfully (Nachhaltigkeit Erfolgreich Vermitteln) addresses precisely this gap. Building upon the success of the international counterpart, the Academy of Change (AoC), ‘weiter_wirken’ offers a comprehensive capacity building programme based on insights from behaviour and communication science. It is designed specifically for professionals and volunteers from non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in NRW who work on fostering sustainable behaviours. Through a series of workshops, the participants are trained on how to generate greater impact with their sustainability projects and enable their target groups to engage in more sustainable behaviours.
At the same time, participants of the weiter_wirken training programme also become part of a wide networking and learning space, as sustainability-oriented organisations from various areas will exchange their experiences, discuss challenges and share their knowledge.
Weiter_machen’ is a non-profit initiative of the Collaborating Center on Sustainable Consumption and Production (CSCP) and its cooperating partners Foundation for Environment and Development North Rhine-Westphalia and ecosign / Academy for Design. The project is funded by the Foundation Environment and Development North Rhine-Westphalia and runs until summer 2021.
weiter_machen is an evidence-based training and networking program that conveys the latest findings in behavior and communication research and enables participants to effectively promote and implement their specific sustainability issues. In the pilot phase they can offer you this program free of charge. The program consists of four successive modules, each of which is carried out as a one-day workshop. Participants receive through the program:
- a deeper understanding of the essential theories, models and tools of behavioral and communication research
- the necessary knowledge for the systematic and effective application, implementation and evaluation of what has been learned to your own target group for the effective promotion of your own topics, activities and projects
- the opportunity for a valuable and lasting exchange of knowledge and experience between committed people and organizations in the field of sustainability and one-world issues
- the know-how to develop your own organization in this area
- Upon successful participation in all workshops, participants also receive a final certificate that confirms their participation and the knowledge they have gained
Eligibility Criteria
weiter_machen is aimed at full-time and volunteers who plan and implement sustainability and one-world projects in North Rhine-Westphalia. They would like to win applicants for the program who:
- if possible have 3 years of practical experience (including volunteering) in the development and implementation of projects
- Participate in projects in your organization that directly address and involve target groups so that the knowledge learned can be applied and implemented in practice
- have the support of their organization for participation in the program (ideally with a letter of support from the organization)
- have sufficient time to deal with the content of the various modules: at least six working days should be planned over a period of six months – four working days for participation in the individual workshops and two accumulated working days for the respective preparation and follow-up of the content
- can attend all scheduled workshop dates
- work in North Rhine-Westphalia
For more information, visit https://www.scp-centre.org/weiter_wirken-call-for-application/