Facilitating community assemblies to generate positive climate action
Hay Public Library.org is a CIC initially set-up in 2019 to keep the library open in Hay-on-Wye. Its core aims are to support volunteering to maintain the library services and encourage more activities in the library and wider community.
The Group approached Egin with a vision to introduce a new form of participatory and deliberative democracy into their town, namely community assemblies. The assemblies were focused on addressing climate change resilience, as part of a strategic model which might then be rolled out by libraries throughout rural Wales. They identified three key themes: food, mental wellbeing and energy.
The Egin Facilitator, Philip McDonnell, worked with the Group’s enthusiastic project lead, Mike Eccles, to explore their ideas and bring greater focus and structure to their proposals through the Egin action planning process. Priority was given to running a community assembly about local food, and Egin mentor, Aimee Parker, was assigned to share with the Group her extensive experience in community engagement and organising assemblies. She was able to work with Mike and his team of facilitators to plan and deliver a very successful initial assembly, which has generated interest with other groups and networks across Wales.
The first assembly addressed the question: “How might we support Hay-on-Wye, as a community, to become as self-sufficient as possible in sustainably grown local food within 10 years? Eventually producing enough to feed the town and its environs, much as we did in the 1950s and 60s?”
80 people attended, with up to 200 showing interest. The sample of people present was intended to be as representative as possible, with flyers carefully designed and distributed around Hay-on-Wye. Specific groups, such as farmers, landowners, food bank and zero waste users, were directly contacted and invited to participate. More information can be found at https://carboncopy.eco/initiatives/hay-community-assemblies.
The group is now seeking funding to employ a Project Co-ordinator and an Administrator to organise further community assemblies and facilitate teams to take forward the actions that emerge.
Mike Eccles commented “Without the support of Egin, we would not have been able to develop our Model in the way we have. We are more confident than ever that this Model can be made to work for our community. And we have learned lessons.”
“The Egin programme has enabled us to turn a rural community Climate Change Model, designed as a strategic approach for a Welsh rural community, into a real and viable pilot project. This will generate positive climate action, reduce environmental impact, while also reducing our personal and collective carbon footprint on the planet.”
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