Egin is a programme that aims to unlock the collective power of communities in Wales to take their first steps towards tackling climate change and living more sustainably – especially those who are the most likely to be affected by climate change.

The word “Egin” means shoots or sprouts in Welsh, and the aim is to help new ideas to generate and take root, empowering communities to come together and talk about the changes they want to see.

Our main focus is  groups who might not normally feel included in conversations around climate and sustainability, yet may be the most impacted by climate change.

With the many challenges we’re facing now and in the next few decades, it’s more important than ever that communities can come together to talk, plan and create the changes they want to see – to create a future that is fair, sustainable, and that works for everyone.

We know that it can be hard to know where to start and what to do, which is why we connect community groups with Peer Mentors. These are people who have already done similar projects and are happy to share their knowledge and skills to help you make the changes you want to see.

We are particularly keen to hear from groups who have no previous track record of working on climate and sustainability, or who are not sure where to start.

Egin is led by the Development Trusts Association Wales (DTA Wales) and will run until 2029. It is funded by a Sustainable Steps Wales – Mentoring Grant; the grants are administered by The National Lottery Community Fund and the funding comes from the Dormant Assets Scheme – which donates money left untouched for more than 15 years in bank accounts and building societies.

We have built on the experience of our previous programme, Renew Wales, which helped hundreds of communities take action on climate change from 2012 to 2022.

Get in touch with us and we’ll connect you to your nearest Egin Facilitator. Your Facilitator will be your first point of contact – bringing your community together, listening to what everyone wants and needs, and helping you to decide whether getting involved with Egin is a good idea for you. 

If you decide to go forward, your Facilitator will help your group sign up to the Egin programme and then set you up on our Egin Online Community. Here you can stay connected with your group, develop your Action Plan together and discuss ideas, as well as finding out about other organisations, groups and projects across Wales. You’ll be able to connect with other community groups, and share ideas, resources and what you’re learning along the way. 

Your Facilitator will then guide you through our pool of Peer Mentors and help you choose somebody with the right knowledge and experience to support you in taking the first steps in your Action Plan.

We also provide an easy-to-use Monitoring and Self-Evaluation Toolkit created by our partners at Co-Production Network for Wales. Groups are encouraged to use it to evaluate the impact of their projects.

Peer Mentor support can last between 1-3 days but may be spread over several weeks or months as required. 

When you have made a plan, your group may be eligible for a £15,000 grant to help with project costs.  Sustainable Steps Wales – Egin grants are offered by The National Lottery Community Fund – read more about eligibility for them here: Sustainable Steps Wales – Egin grants.

After being supported and gaining experience, you may want to apply to become a Peer Mentor yourself! 

More information

Egin is a programme run by DTA Wales (Development Trusts Association) , an independent practitioner based membership organisation promoting the work of and supporting the growing network of development trusts in Wales. We are part of a larger movement of community based regeneration and enterprise network across the UK, including Locality in England, DTAS in Scotland and DTNI in Northern Ireland, dating back to the formation of the original Development Trust Association in 1992. Together we are a fast growing movement of over 600 development trusts and more than 43 in Wales, with community owned assets worth £560 million.

Partners

Egin is funded by a Sustainable Steps Wales – Mentoring Grant; the grants are administered by The National Lottery Community Fund and the funding comes from the Dormant Assets Scheme – which donates money left untouched for more than 15 years in bank accounts and building societies.