Sacramento Sustainability Action Group
Connecting Sacramento's Sustainability Movement
This page came from the desire to harness some of the energy raised at the Sacramento Sustainability Symposium May 2008. This page is a tool for organizing future sustainability-related events. We subsequently are part of the Rising Tide North America network, which works to confront the root causes of climate change.
GROUP DETAILS
Created: Jun 06, 2008
Updated: Oct 21, 2009
Membership: Open To Apply
Semi-Private
Be The Change Earth Alliance
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BE THE CHANGE Earth Alliance envisions a world where men, women and children live with nature in a way that is environmentally sustainable, personally meaningful, and socially just. Our mission is to create communities which empower people – individually and collectively -- to support attitudes, values and behaviours which enhance the health and well-being of all life on this planet.
A MODEL OF COLLABORATION FOR SOCIAL CHANGE
1. OUTREACH 2. ACTIVATION 3. ENGAGEMENT 4. COLLABORATION 5. ACTION
1. OUTREACH Outreach into communities is generated through collaborative partnerships with various special interest, community, wellness, environmental, social justice, education, faith and business groups.
2. ACTIVATION There are various portals for citizen activation. Be The Change Earth Alliance (BTCEA) has identified the Awakening The Dreamer Symposium created by The Pachamama Alliance (TPA) as one very effective medium for activation. This is an engaging, facilitated, multi-media workshop that effectively helps people confront where we are; identify the assumptions that led us here; understand the new science that recognizes our profound interconnection; feel encouraged by the groundswell of committed energy emerging in society; and be inspired to take action.
BTCEA has adapted the Symposium into workshops of various lengths and modified the script so that participants are invited to continue in their process of life-style change by forming Be The Change Action Circles. BTCEA presented this adaptation at the 2008 TPA Global Gathering and received a standing ovation. Many TPA facilitators introducing Be The Change to Symposium participants around the world.
We are interested in collaborating with other organizations who have created effective activation events, to offer the Be The Change Circle Program as an effective way to help people stay engaged in the on-going process of life-style change.
3. ENGAGEMENT Be the Change Action Circles have been designed and tested to provide individuals with an effective framework for exploring values and creating sustainable habits in a fun and personal context. Meeting weekly or bi-weekly with a circle of 8 - 10 friends or colleagues, participants engage with heart, head and hand. Inter-relational activities deepen personal connections; dialogues on a broad curriculum of readings expand our understanding of the significant issues; and working with a comprehensive action guide grounds our intention in peer supported personal action.
We have a strong collaborative relationship with the Northwest Earth Institute who provide a selection of readers within the Circle curriculum. We look forward to establishing collaborative relationships with a number of organizations to develop a strong selection of reading material to address environmental sustainability, social justice and personal fulfillment.
The Be The Change Facilitators’ Guide and Participants’ Workbook/Action Guide provide structure and norms, and correlate the readings to a broad range of actions for lifestyle choices. The variety and scope of the action guide brings longevity to the circle and depth to the participants’ experience. The circle meetings provide peer support and accountability to shift individual intention into action.
This program provides a balance of prescriptive, consistent actions with the freedom to choose from a wide selection of reading materials and activities. Our interactive Web 2.0 website is presently being developed to service circles internationally. By tracking changes, sharing stories and recommending resources, circle participants will see the aggregate effect of their behavioural changes and feel the movement grow.
4. COLLABORATON The best way to build collaboration is through a desirable project that people want to participate in. We have designed a highly interactive public exchange called Circle Talks that brings for the knowledge and wisdom of local leaders in dialogue with participants. The content and recommended actions of the Circle Talks will be available on-line for circle participants to access for dialogue in Be The Change circles.
5. ACTION in SERVICE Our goal is to empower citizens to stand in community for environmental sustainability and social justice. Our organizational policy is to not be directly aligned with any political or social stand. We empower Be The Change members to be well informed and interested in taking whatever collective action they are called to engage in.
These components are cross-relational, order- flexible and inter-dependent.
