Better and Bigger Collective Action

Workspaces Spot the Future
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Hi everyone, this is a summary of our futurespotters workshop in Tbilisi. Our group was working on this issue and we’re trying to lay the foundation for improving key issues in our society - bottomup! If you were there, go ahead and fill in this wiki by clicking Edit (make sure you’re logged in). If you’re on Edgeryders and reading from afar, please help with advice!

How to better communicate the work of activists & NGOs for environmental protection?

UBRAN PLANNING: what public institutions need to put skin in the game?

mobile apps Fix the streets/ Speaking stones

waste management

monitor green shots

Steps:

Increase coordination needed among NGOs.

CENN can help convincing NGOs to cooperate.

Meeting with CENN.

Inform NGOs about workshops like Future Spotters.

    Open Data should be promoted within organizations.

  Inspire and engage UNDP decisionmakers to cooperate.

    Motivate people to volunteer.

Make videos, plan workshops, involve kids in volunteering.

Involve media to raise awareness about volunteering.

National Volunteering Day to lead up to.

    Give workshops on brainstorming and how it works. (One of the locations is Vake Park)

Involve Edgeryders community in brainstorming consultations.

    Flash mob picnics with surprise locations.

Resources:

    Human Resources: facilitators, networks to engage participants.

Promotional materials.

Social media skills.

Future Spotters could teach workshops on brainstorming and facilitating them.

Call for help:

We need brainstorming facilitators.

Help with communication streams between NGOs.

Videographers/Animators/Screenwriters for content creation.

Plan twitter storm for international media.

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Wow, that’s big!

Hello @nickda@gmail.com, good to meet you. I see you think big – but then again guerrilla gardeners tend not to be afraid of the scale of issues. :slight_smile:

Maybe we at Edgeryders can help with some of the online stuff – for example, Twitterstorms. Let us know if you want to set one up, we will see what we can do. 

Just a question: what is SEN?

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Sen = CENN :wink:

it’s the Caucasus Environmental NGO Network. They are the biggest well respected environmental NGO in the region, however, they are having trust issues cooperating with Tbilii based environmental groups after some bad experiences. That being said, their network, knowledge and resources could be very beneficial for us, and as they could benefit from innovation (open data, volunteerism) we want to engage and inspire them (and other environmental NGOs). 

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SEN and scale issues

Hi Alberto

SEN is an NGO that Inge mentioned. I may be spelling it wrong though. :slight_smile:

As for twitterstorms - we may need your help with that as we’re lacking international exposure at the moment. As a rule, our policy makers are much more sensitive to outside pressure.

Thank you for the offer!

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platforms and networks

I like it!! :slight_smile:

This is the major push by the EU in Turkey: grants up to 350k were awarded last year for platforms between NGOs on specific issues. It makes sense since individually each NGO is really isolated. While the funding is creating competition and some perverse effects in protecting specialist areas, the platform mentality is starting to grow. It’s never easy though, as you’re hinting, Inge, in the trust issues and the apparent monopoly position of a big player vs much smaller organisations. Specific issue focus has been successful here: different women’s groups lobbying parliament during the consultation on the constitution. I think a shared focus of interest and reward can stimulate that collective spirit: an earlier draft of this included monitoring and evaluation - perhaps a shared pool of monitoring data could stimulate collaboration? And build the call for open data…

For volunteering, personally I think it’s about the meaningfulness of that volunteering: make that clear and positive vibes of volunteering will flow! So, the focus suggested on social media, promotion and communication stream between NGOs looks great.

I’m trying to learn how all this is working here too!

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Ok brainstorming, but for what?

Hi Nick and all, I was re-reading this and wondering how come you stopped at brainstorming as a tool: it seems that what’s lacking is not ideas – we’ve seen already how many things are happening for example at Vake Park with the help of people’s creativity and generosity: gardening, artistic workshops, children events etc Did you have in mind brainstorming for specific purposes, can someone expand on that? What seems to be lacking is concerted actions to spread the culture that you guys are building, even more than the movement, which in itself I understand it has already much support.

@Khatuna, does UNDP have a database of organisations who could help, information that can be made public? One thing that worked for unMonastery and could work for you is if you considered throwing a social dinner where you could invite NGOs that seem aligned in their mission with yours or other environmental activists. Everyone could bring food to share, you could dine in the park and take the opportunity to collect some input and see how they can help. Is it too ambitious? One initiative I like and seems it’s spreading is Food Not Bombs, perhaps you heard of it?

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This is interesting!

Few questions:

  • What are the environmental issues that you face in Georgia?
  • Communicate their work to whom?
  • How about the Governmental media? Are they tackling the issue?
  • Do you mean to brainstorm for ideas on how to cooperate, how to promote volunteering among youth, and how to mobilize people to take actions?