Taking a coordinated approach.
"Education without social action is a one-sided value because it has no true power potential. Social action without education is a weak expression of pure energy, Deeds uninformed by educated thought can take false directions, When we go into action and confront our adversaries, we must be armed with knowledge as they. Our policies should have the strength of deep analysis beneath them to be able to challenge the clever sophistries of our opponents." Dr Martin Luther King Jr. from Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community
The working group - who is it, and why it exists
The 1996 National Conference of Conservation Councils and Environment Centres in Adelaide used a grant from the Department of Employment, Education & Training to provide a wide smorgasbord of training topics. This training was very well received by the conference participants. As a result a Working Group on Training was formed to investigate the needs of the wider environment movement and to propose strategies for making training more accessible, affordable and relevant to the movement. The working group consists of activists and trainers who volunteered at the Conference, and others who have since been co-opted, Coordinators are Chris Harris, Katrina Shields & Bobbi Allan of the Social Change Training & Resource Centre, and Garth Luke. Others who have worked on the Project to date are Kate Brent and Julie Foreman.
It was recognised that environmental protection work was:
· Often very demanding
· Required complex skills and knowledge
· People are often required to take on roles in organisations, such as complex management roles, without necessarily having had any training in these skills.
· Organisations and individuals were often subject to considerable stress, burnout is rife.
· Turnover of activists, workers, volunteers was dysfunctionally high
· High turn over caused loss of valuable skills and experience for the movement
· There are many very experienced activists/managers: change workers who don't pass on the fruits of their experience to others who would benefit.
Purpose of this paper
The purpose of this paper is to outline the issues related to training, including the results of the Training Needs Survey, and to discuss the benefits of a more coordinated, cross-movement approach to training. and the possibilities for pooling, of the movement's meagre resources for mutual benefit.
What we mean by training
"Training" in this paper is a short-hand term. For a broad concept that goes beyond (but of course includes) skills development. It includes:
· being sufficiently informed on the relevant campaign issue(s). This is generally the least problematic area for the environment movement. Organisations and individuals are well-motivated to make this a priority and sometimes think this is sufficient to bring about change.
· practical and technical skills to do the job, whether campaigning / managing people and finances / coordinating volunteers / public education, etc. Skills required may be: media, public speaking: financial management, computer or research skills etc. This includes sufficient organisational orientation for staff and volunteers to enable them to be effective in their roles. These practical and technical skills need to be in combination with:
· interpersonal skills, for instance: conflict resolution / negotiation / providing support and supervision / running effective meetings / team and alliance building. Research by Mary Gnomes on Peace Activists in the USA found the major cause of people dropping out of the movement was NOT the inevitable campaign losses and setbacks, but unresolved and unsatisfactory relationships with other activists. This includes the lost opportunities for coordination and cooperation between groups due to poor or underdeveloped relationships. And it includes attracting and keeping a wide range of volunteers. These interpersonal skills are linked to:
· making environmental work sustainable. When we work for environmental sustainability, we should include ourselves and our organisations as part of the environment. Feelings of discouragement, exhaustion and even bitterness are not uncommon among activists who have worked for more than a few years. Unacceptably high stress levels, unbalanced lives and burnout are common. What is needed is sustainable activism. It is going to take at least our lifetimes to avert the global crises we face and find sustainable ways of living on the earth and with each other. To be involved and stay involved, always moving against the tide of the wider society, requires ways of continually replenishing our inner resources. Personal and spiritual growth, clarification of ethics and values as well as big picture perspective are important here. The causes of burnout are well-understood and preventable with personal and organisational contributing factors. Prevention includes paying attention to support structures. This appears to be given a low priority by environmental organisations driven by a crisis mentality. It is akin to strip-mining your own resources.
· learning from our own and each others' experience. Reflection and action learning techniques can be used so that critical learning from experience is not lost. In organisations where turnover is high, far too many wheels are reinvented. It is important to reflect on the assumptions that govern strategies, and to evaluate and adapt what we do for continuous improvement. This requires the ability to step back from the front line and from over-identification with previous actions, so that true reflection and questioning and dialogue can take place. An atmosphere that balances mutual respect and trust with constructive challenging and questioning is important. This also includes the ability to pause to acknowledge and celebrate successes - even the small ones. It also involves being able to keep a perspective that locates our actions within the much bigger picture of the progression of the environmental movement over the decades
· organisational development. This includes setting in place evaluation and information sharing systems and structures that: make the flow of work effective and efficient; ensure that valuable knowledge is retained in an accessible way: facilitate the mentoring and development of volunteers / young activists, so that knowledge and skills are shared and there are renewable resources when the old ones 'decline' or are 'used up'!
· political and philosophical frameworks for action. This includes, for example, developing a sophisticated and preferably shared understanding of nonviolence theory, how peoples' movements are effective and how the political processes function. Often this level is assumed to be shared without opportunities for dialogue being created. This is often a source of tension.
A range of training areas are relevant to the environment movement. Central to these are (1) learning to learn from your own and others' experience and (2) being successful in inviting participation from others. that is getting more and more people on board the movement. These are two factors that are critical in developing a broad and successful movement.
To sum up, when we use the term "training" this does not imply simply a transmission from expert to learner. It includes opportunities for dialogue with peer groups, reflection and documentation of learning from experience, and other mechanisms for supporting and resourcing activists. Specific topics of skills require different training strategies.
Training needs survey
Introduction
In late 1996 the working group surveyed the major environment groups, conservation councils and environment centres in all States. Approximately eighty survey forms were distributed. The survey asked what training had taken place during the past three years; what had and hadn't worked for them in training they had done; what had been spent on training; their planning for future training; attitude towards pooling resources with other groups: and a rating of usefulness of training topics in twenty different areas.
Summary of results
Thirty-three groups responded. Overall very little training was being done. It was obvious that training and support work was given low priority when allocating group time and money. There was also a high perception of obstacles to accessing suitable training. When specific topics were outlined a high percentage said they would find these useful. There was also considerable enthusiasm for pooling resources with other groups: 78% said joint training would be useful.
What has been done
According to these responses, during the past three years there has been a very low level of training in the environment movement and very little planning for future training. three-quarters said they had had no training in the last three years. The 1996 National Conference of Conservation Councils and Environment Centres in Adelaide provided a smorgasbord of training, workshops over four days, and this training was the only training that many individuals had done. 18% said the training at the Adelaide conference was all they had had. Many groups had done no training (approximately one third) and of those that had done some training, only a few people in the groups got to participate. Overall a minority had trained in any particular area. The most common training topics were in computer and office related skills such as email/Internet training (31% had done computer training.). 15% had done some media training and in a very few organisations there was some one-to-one passing on of skills. Very little training had occurred in other topics - mostly campaign information related, a little bit of conflict resolution and public speaking. There was very little been done on volunteer management. community education, planning, public speaking etc., even though they say it is important.
What worked well
The Adelaide conference opportunity which provided a wide range of topics and the opportunity for discussion with people from other groups was mentioned positively a number of times. Quote: "I found the training at the nat. conference excellent I returned motivated & inspired, which flowed to other members." On-the-Job training in practical skills had some positive mentions. Training that was relevant and had immediate application was also mentioned. There were negligible comments on what was not useful.
Spending on training
Greenpeace had an identifiable training budget but most other groups said they spent nothing, on training. Many that had done training had managed to access it free of charge.
How training was organised
One third of the groups who had done some training said they combined training with other events such as an AGM or other organisational event. Many said they felt this was a good idea though they were not doing it.
Limiting factors
The perceptions of the main limiting factors in providing training were finding the time, finding the money and motivation, and organisational disinterest. Some rurally isolated groups said finding resources in their area was hard. Some groups said that there was no-one skilled in their group in understanding or providing training, or anyone specifically driving training needs. Quote: "In some organisations people don't see it being as important as the important work" of saving the world.
Joint (cross-organisation) training
70% said they were interested in joint training. Of the ones who were not, geographic distance was given as the reason. Suggestions that were given to make joint training most useful included: costs subsidised, geographical proximity, the provision of materials for use afterwards, affordable, and targeted to individuals' identified needs.
Useful training topics
Twenty suggested topics were rated from 'no use at all' to 'very useful' on a five point scale. All topics mentioned received majority support. Training in almost every topic mentioned was seen as useful or very useful by 3/4 of respondents or more.
Training topic Groups rating this
fairly or very useful
developing planning skills 91%
recruiting, coordinating & supporting volunteers 91%
developing effective campaigns 88%
improving community education programs 88%
enhancing fund raising & promotion 88%
building alliances eg. coalitions, movement building 88%
managing people 88%
maintaining morale & motivation, dealing with despair 84%
public speaking skills 84%
working with the media 84%
preventing stress & burnout 81%
computer skills 78%
using environmental legislation 78%
resolving conflicts & developing negotiation skills 75%
managing finances & budgeting 75%
building effective teams & group communication 72%
documenting & evaluating programs 72%
managing time effectively 66%
applying nonviolent action methods 56%
Some of the comments which were added to the survey returns were: "Training is an area very much needed in the movement I strongly support moves to provide more resources however restricted." "It's a jolly good idea", "It is great that this is finally happening" and "A very important initiative".
Suggested Strategies for Overcoming Obstacles toTraining
The three major obstacles to training highlighted by the Survey were as always, money, time and human resources. The suggestions which follow are just a beginning. A peak body that was taking a joint approach to meeting needs could take this a lot further.
Money
Some of the groups that have been quite successful in providing training to their members, such as Friends of the Earth in Melbourne, have done so by spending virtually no money. They have recognised the need for training, have accessed volunteer trainers (see Trainers' Register below) and have shared skills already existing within the organisation. There are many ways of making use of what already exists within or without your organisations, and many ideas to be shared. Strategies for pooling resources between groups can be developed - for example, participating in joint training exercises which could be funded by a pro-rata contribution and/or pursuing external funding specifically for training, from bodies that would not fund campaign work. An umbrella body is in a much better position to pursue this than individual groups. The working group has made some submissions in this regard and there is more scope in this area.
Time
While time constraints are undeniable, there is too often a 'scarcity mentality' in operation when training is considered. What is needed is a shift in priorities and time-frames which recognises that time invested in appropriate and quality training now can save time in the future through reduced turnover, more strategic, appropriate and skilled action. Time spent in setting up usable systems and volunteer orientation programmes is also a valuable investment. Overall movement success will not be governed by the sheer volume of work done by well intentioned people but by the strategic effectiveness of actions.
Human and Training Resources
There are many people whose main focus may not necessarily be environmental activism, but who are supporters and who are willing to donate cheap or free training eg. computer experts, teachers, consultants, communications experts etc. The Working Group can play a role in helping you to access these people - see the Trainers' Register, below. Health and Welfare organisations often provide training either through individual or peak organisations eg. the Centre for Community Welfare Training in Sydney. Many of the topics provided, particularly those in people / management skills, are just as applicable to environmental organisations. There are also opportunities through TAFE Colleges, Universities eg. University of Technology's Centre for Popular Education, Adult Education Colleges. etc., that should not be overlooked. A peak body could lobby organisations such as TAFE to provide 'industry' training for the movement and for other related community groups. New Social Security regulations now allow some 'legitimate' voluntary work for those on benefits, and this could provide a new pool of 'human resources'. Government employment programmes (whilst always changing rapidly) are often a source of people and training money.
Trainer's Register
The working group is developing a national register of people who are willing to offer training and support to the environment movement. Survey forms have been distributed nationally, mainly in a fairly informal way through environmental and friendship networks. To date, there have been forty-seven responses from all States from people who said they are available to offer training in specific topic areas. A web-site on training for the environment movement will soon be set up, linked to a similar US site, and the register will be accessible there. Groups could also be encouraged to pay more attention to resources in their local area.
Bibliography of resources
A bibliography of resources in a wide range of topics related to environmental skills and training is being developed and will also be on the web-site. This can be progressively updated and expanded. It may also be published and distributed to environment groups.
Other strategies
One example of a group taking a wider perspective on their environmental role is that of the Environment Centre of Western Australia. This group has used community psychology students, TAFE students and other volunteer professional people to commence consultations and needs analyses on training and support needs amongst a wide range of either single-issue or otherwise small organisations in the wider Perth region. Though more consultations are needed to complete the training needs analysis, the Centre will endeavour to offer itself (and community volunteers) as a resource to provide that training.
A strategy which the Working Group is currently pursuing is to design and obtain funding for a pilot training programme, probably as a five day intensive in or near Sydney early next year. This will offer a smorgasbord of training topics and could establish participants in Action learning programmes within their own organisations.
Conclusion
The work of environmental activism is important, complex and 'real' work, whether the rest of society recognises it as such and whether or not it is paid. It deserves to be taken as (or even more) seriously than any other work, with the skills of workers respected and developed for maximum effectiveness. The Community Services sector formerly made training a low priority. Over the past fifteen years, and mainly through peak body coordination, they have vastly expanded their training programmes. In doing so, they have demonstrated the value they place on the skills of their workers and the results have validated the allocation of the resources they have allocated to training. The environment movement now needs to follow this example. Taking a more coordinated, cross movement approach to meeting training and support needs is likely to be more effective and efficient, given the limited resources and will enable access to more resources than individual groups find feasible.
Katrina Shields & Bobbi Allan
Ph: (02)66886116/66886196
Email<sctrc@om.com.au>