What’s the project about?

The aim of the Framing Climate Justice Project is to strengthen the movement for climate justice in the UK. We want to use the project to build a more aligned community of activists and campaigners, and to improve how we are communicating about climate change and its economic, social and environmental causes and impacts.

The project is coordinated by 350.org, PIRC and  NEON , and will run over the course of about 10 months, with sessions roughly every 2-3 months. The expected commitment from participants across this time is 8-10 days of session time (plus travel time), with some potential for work and creative activities between sessions.

We know this isn’t a small commitment—but for this project to have the impact we want it to, we need to create this kind of time and space.

Over the course of the project we’ll be learning about framing and communication techniques, carrying out communications research, developing new ways of talking about climate justice and testing them with people across the UK! We’ll also be exploring how we can build a stronger movement with justice at its heart.

Sounds like your kinda thing?!

Read on for the project structure, criteria and practicalities for participating…

What will happen during the project?

The project is made up of 5 sessions – including 3 residentials – over 10 months. Each session is supported by visiting speakers and coaches with expertise in climate justice, participatory research, framing creation and testing, and creative communications.

1. Intros. What is the project? Who are we? How do we want to work together?
2. Our stories. What is our vision? What are our goals? What is our core story?
3. Other stories. How do people think about climate justice? What does that mean for our thinking and communications? What new ideas does that give us?
4. Testing. How can we test our communications? What do we want to test?
5. Next steps. What did we find from the test? How does that change our communications and thinking? What do we want to do together next?

The project design is based on a belief that participants can teach each other as much, if not more, than “experts” can! So we design all of the sessions for maximum participation–where every voice is heard and where we learn from one another’s experience.

Each session builds on the last and the time between sessions allows participants to apply their learning, and test out new frames and narratives. It is therefore essential for participants to attend all sessions.

Sessions will be on the following dates:

1. Friday 29th March (1-day workshop)
2. Saturday 27th – Sunday 28th April 2019 (Residential)
3. Saturday 20th – Sunday 21st July (Residential)
4. Friday 27th September (1-day workshop)
5. Thursday 23rd – Friday 24th January 2020 (Residential)

Between sessions, participants will undertake reading and attend action learning groups (small groups helping each other solve practical problems) and will keep track of their progress. As the project goes on, we will also involve participants in the design of sessions.

Over the course of the project, participants will:

• Learn about ‘framing’ and how to apply it to your work
• Explore and evaluate ways of communicating climate justice
• Build connections with people across the climate justice movement
• Receive training in communications skills they identify as a priority
• Get supported by communications experts to produce new communications.