Bringing people together & first meetings
A Climate to Thrive began in 2015 when a group of Mount Desert Island residents started talking to each other about climate change. These informal conversations took place in all kinds of community gathering spaces, such as at the library, in the post offices, and at the grocery store. As residents began talking more about the topic and connecting around their concern about climate change, the desire to establish some formal meetings focused on local solutions quickly arose. Those interested put out an invitation to their local contact lists for potluck dinners focused on conversations about climate change.
While these conversations were ultimately focused on local solutions, it was important to begin with an invitation for everyone present to talk about their feelings and thoughts about the topic. This practice was essential for several reasons:
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Building connection and understanding between participants.
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Setting a foundation that prioritizes human connection around the topic alongside solutions.
It can sometimes be challenging to shift directly into solutions without a greeting space for folks to share how they feel and think about the topic, especially since these thoughts and feelings are often suppressed until there is an open invitation to share.
It was important to set a supportive space where everyone was asked to actively listen to each other. We also set timeframes for initial sharing to ensure that everyone had an equal opportunity and no one spoke for too long. Possible formats for initial meetings include:
Circle share on two topics: first time around, sharing thoughts and feelings related to the topic of climate change. Second time around, share ideas for local solutions. The second share should be recorded by a notetaker.
A second meeting could open with folks sharing ideas for first projects and then a second circle share of important partners in the initiative. Again, these shares should both be recorded by a notetaker.
When the group feels ready, a great next step is forming small working groups focused on organizing towards a community-wide session as well as exploring potential first projects to bring to that community-side session.
Additional thoughts for initial meetings:
Make sure to meet frequently at first to build momentum.
Move towards organizing actual action with tangible impact as quickly as possible to sustain momentum.
Some established platforms to build equity in meetings: Liberating Structures, Open Space World, World Cafe Method
Include food!
Check our facilitation guide for more resources about organizing and facilitating meetings
Community Stories
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In 2018, the Energy Steering Committee in York hosted an energy fair at which community members talked about their desires to take climate action in their community. People wanted to take action but did not know where to start. A group hosted another meeting and decided to contact the Sierra Club for guidance. They joined ‘Ready for 100’, a national program that encourages cities to commit to 100% renewable energy. The program, guidance, and toolkit helped kick off the group and provided a focus for their actions.
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Freeport CAN started in 2021 from the desire of a group of people to have a space to talk about climate change and take local action. They invited people to share their concerns about what was happening to the climate and local ecosystems. During those meetings, people talked about their love and concerns for the town, their children, and their grandchildren. Through those discussions, participants began shaping a vision of Freeport as a model community. Those conversations also had an educational component, as there was information about the sources of greenhouse gasses in their community, possible local solutions to lower emissions, and other changes needed to address climate change locally. After those initial meetings, participants were invited to self-identify if there wereg willing to coordinate committees, which led to the creation of Freeport CAN’s 7 action groups. These groups formed guided by participant’s interests, passions, skills, and education on the local solutions.
