Issue: Principles & Processes

From one perspective, we’re ending 2021 a lot like we started it. In a pandemic, experiencing one extreme weather event after another, and anxious over how power is being wielded in Congress and the White House.
At the same time, there have been a significant number of policy victories at all levels of government while new funding resources and new horizons in climate leadership are creating transformational shifts within the climate movement. Shifts that have the potential to unlock the people power we are going to need to win – and secure – the transition to a clean energy future that we all need. Below you’ll find summaries of key trends in the climate movement for 2021 – and some of the Best of the Lab from this year.

What is a strategy? How are your strategy and theory of change interrelated? How do you develop a power-building strategy?  
In part 4 of our Power & Strategy training series, we will be talking about all things strategy! We will be focusing on why having a power-building strategy is important and the steps to developing a transformative strategy. This training will focus on: 
• Define what a strategy is compared to tactics
• Developing a power-building strategy that is rooted in winning  
• Deepen our understanding of how a strategy is related to our theory of change. 
*This webinar is private and available to LAB MEMBERS ONLY. If you are not a member and would like to attend, then please reach out to us at info@climateadvocacylab.org to apply for membership.*

What is a theory of change? What is its utility in your organizing and campaigning work? How do you develop a theory of change and how does it work?
A theory of change can help clarify how change happens, what progress and success look like, and what it takes to get there. In part 3 of our Power & Strategy we will focus on: 
• Defining the utility of theory of change in your work 
•  A framework of the different components of a theory of change
•  Step by step instructions for developing or workshopping an existing theory of change

Are hopeful email subject lines more effective than scary ones? How can we highlight climate injustice without disempowering people? Does giving our activists more ownership increase their retention?
We test as one way to learn the answers to these and many more questions. We test because our assumptions and gut feelings are frequently wrong. “Testing” is the process of carefully trying out variations in what you do and measuring the results so you can learn what works. This webinar will provide a step-by-step guide to the basics of testing and prepare you to conduct simple tests (such as on email or Facebook) and to be an informed partner if working with a research expert on more ambitious projects.

COP 26 will be occurring from October 31st through November 12th in Glasglow, Scotland where over 196 countries will pledge to reduce their emissions. This ceremony of coming together, whether it is symbolic or strategic, got me thinking about the magic of coalition spaces, their utility and how we should engage them in our organizing and campaigning work. So, sit back and let’s take a ride through the realm of strategic coalitions.
P.S. Check out the Colour of the Climate Crisis—"an exhibition of Black artists and artists of colour exploring the relationship between racial justice and climate justice"