Stuff I hear about in workshops<\/i><\/p>\n

<\/a>A love for all creation – the Pope\u2019s dazzling encyclical<\/b><\/h3>\n

Just read Laudato Si, Pope Francis\u2019s encyclical on the environment, which is about much more than the environment. What a smart, strategic, moving document it is! There is hardly a paragraph that is not simultaneously eloquent, sobering and energising.
\nWe make strategies for everything there days\u2026but who\u2019s ever tackled a high-level strategy for the whole of humanity? From now on this is mine.
\nHere\u2019s why I think it\u2019s smart: because of its global scale, because it proposes a fundamental unity of the twin problems of environmental deterioration and global inequality (so we \u201chear\u00a0both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor<\/i>\u201d), because it lays blame squarely and uncompromisingly at the system of consumption, and because it goes behind that and establishes a deeper cause: a\u00a0utilitarian worldview unmotivated by love, wonder, humility or any sense of limits, blinded by the destabilising\u00a0power that technology has unleashed. It is a profoundly subversive document, from practically the only major world institution that has not given in\u00a0to economic rationalism.
\nIt\u2019s full of uncompromising, memorable language. Here\u2019s an example: \u201cIf architecture reflects the spirit of an age, our megastructures and drab apartment blocks express the spirit of globalized technology, where a constant flood of new products coexists with a tedious monotony. Let us refuse to resign ourselves to this, and continue to wonder about the purpose and meaning of everything. Otherwise we would simply legitimate the present situation and need new forms of escapism to help us endure the emptiness.\u201d
\nLaudato Si (Be praised)<\/a>\u00a0– Pope Francis\u2019 encyclical On Care for Our Common Home<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/em>Three non-violent ways to change the world<\/b><\/h3>\n

So, how do we make the shift? Start by being clear about our values and make every action demonstrate them. Then, be\u00a0active.
\nGene\u00a0Sharp, the US political thinker, identified 198 kinds of \u2018change the world\u2019 actions, which fall into three kinds:
\n– highlight something
\n– withdraw your consent
\n– build a better alternative.
\nTo be more specific, I can think of these ways:
\n1) choose a side and pick a (non-violent) fight
\n2) head for the smoke \u2013 find a local problem and design\u00a0a solution
\n3) surprise everyone (including yourself) with a positive new angle \u2013 break a stereotype
\n4) bring unlikely alliances together
\n5) change a piece of the system
\nIdeally we could\u00a0do all at once!
\nFast\u00a0Company (do you subscribe to it? It\u2019s great!)\u00a0reports<\/a>\u00a0a recent analysis of 323 non-violent protest movements from 1900 to 2006 found that: Nonviolent campaigns were successful against government repression 46% of the time, more than twice the success rate (20%) of their violent counterparts. Not only that, they found the success rate of violent insurgencies has actually been declining in recent decades, and that nonviolent resistance campaigns have a stronger tendency to lead to democratic governments and lasting peace later on.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/a>Tactical urbanism – neat ways to \u201cchange the space\u201d<\/b><\/h3>\n

Really excited by \u201cplace-making\u201d ideas. Place-making is a whole world of neat, simple ideas to change people\u2019s environments that can be used to create buzz in almost any kind of change campaign.
\nMelbourne-based urbanists,\u00a0CoDesign Studio<\/a>, have put a pile of ideas in one place with their collection of inspiring Tactical Urbanism Guides. Edition #4 has 20 case studies of \u201cquick and effective urban interventions and place-making projects in Australia and New Zealand \u2013 from pop up parks to urban gardening.\u201d
\nSeriously, I love this stuff.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Don\u2019t get angry, avoid contempt, be curious, address values<\/b><\/h3>\n

Adam Hammes<\/a>, energetic Des Moines-based sustainability\u00a0advocate, has done a marvellous job connecting the personal with the political in this neat little book. It fills a yawning gap where unconsidered private stances and assumptions infect campaigns, so often derailing them before they begin. We’re all getting pretty good at the high level strategy stuff nowadays… but focusing on who we are in relation to the people we hope to influence (ie. on our own values, stances and assumptions) is a mighty step towards being a better change maker.
\nThe book is\u00a0Leverage Your Emotions, Avoid Burnout and Influence Anyone<\/a>, by Adam Hammes.<\/p>\n

Finding the right inviter<\/b><\/h3>\n

It\u2019s never just about the message, it\u2019s about who says it. One strong approach is Popular Opinion Leader method. Find someone – a peer – who others already listen to and respect. Here is a perfect\u00a0case study<\/a>\u00a0from Africa:
\nAs the Ebola virus reached its peak in West Africa in August 2014, transportation provider app Easy Taxi\u00a0and hygiene brand Dettol offered Nigerian taxi drivers training sessions on how to diagnose and prevent the spread of Ebola. Taxi drivers were encouraged to become agents of change and attend monthly meetings as part of the Ebola Awareness Campaign. They learnt about the\u00a0symptoms and preventive measures with the intention of educating their customers.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s a great idea to effectively contain the Ebola spread in Nigeria, as\u00a0a\u00a0large number of Lagosians \u2013\u00a0a state with a population of over 15 million \u2013\u00a0use taxi services every day. This act paints a compelling picture of compassion to me, and Nigerian consumers are naturally attracted to brands that genuinely care about them.\u201d – Emeka Obia, Consultant, Headstart, Nigeria<\/i><\/p>\n

The art of cut-through communication: swapping lenses<\/b><\/h3>\n

Great communication finds new ways to think about the same old thing by mucking with an audience\u2019s expectations. Think about it as \u201clens swapping\u201d. For example, what if we looked at public transport through the lens we use for elite sport? Check this\u00a0epic re-envisaging<\/a>\u00a0of the local bus advert:
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