Today, Saturday, Friends of the Earth held a regional gathering for activists in London and the South East to help bolster the oganisation’s capacity on the ground.
The well attended event held near Finsbury Park saw activists share skills, discuss experiences and train up to help their day to day campaigning work. Aside from the obvious benefits of getting your head around the Localism Bill or social media training it is often useful for activists to get into a room with more than a hundred like minded people doing exactly what they are doing, and facing the same problems but in a different bit of London.
When operating in a small group it can often feel as if you are the only ones and that it your personal responsibility to save the world from all its problems. It can provide a very useful perspective to be reminded that you are part of a larger movement, and somehow that makes the small changes that you can make feel like part of a more significant whole – keeping you going.
The day focused on two things. Skill sharing with film making workshops, interviewing skills, writing for the web and more. Hearing experiences of those from Transition Heathrow, OrganicLea and others there were a number of genuinely inspirational, bu practical, talks about how modest accomplishments were really possible – whether that be local food growing co-ops, solar panel installations or how to build a coalition with other local activists.
The day gave an opportunity for newer activists to get to know their organisation a little better an provided others with useful tips on what they can do in their area.
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