WHAT DO CHANGE CLUBS DO
CHANGE CLUBS METHOD
In Change Clubs people get together to move towards a more sustainable life – meeting regularly to identify actions and individual goals, share knowledge and experience, discuss and monitor progress, support each other and have fun! The best recipe to achieve change, step by step, and with joy.
A Change Club can be a group of friends, neighbours, colleagues, people from the same town, city or region, or members of an online group, also people who don’t know each other before simply sharing an interest in the cause.
Each Club is free to organise itself. The members agree on the periodicity – with a minimum of one meeting per month; the format of their meetings (e.g. in presence, online or hybrid); and on a facilitator or -preferably- a pair of co-facilitators who moderate the meetings and serves as contact point for our Coordination Team and the Change Clubs network.
Information, recommendations, tips for action and more is provided to all Clubs through ‘Change Modules’, which cover the central thematic areas, including diet, mobility, energy, housing, lifestyle, waste, finance, biodiversity, and go beyond. Change Club members can use the modules as a guide for reducing their environmental impact, a source for information and inspiration.
The suggested time frame for each action area is 4-6 weeks, allowing to cover all areas within a year.
STEPS TO CREATE A CHANGE CLUB
We suggest the following steps to start a Change Club:
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WITH WHOM?
Anyone that wants to join your Club. We recommend a size between 5 and 15 people for face-to-face meetings. For online or hybrid meetings it may be more, but we suggest not going over 20 members, so that all can participate in an active and meaningful way. -
HOW?
Anyone can register a Change Club: just write to us at “info@changeclubs.global” and we will get back to you -
WHERE TO START?
At an initial meeting of your Change Clubs (at your home or another location, or online) you choose the modality and frequency of the meetings. You agree on the first area you want to start with (e.g. with the topic of your first month corresponding to our yearly cycle). If members feel ready at the first meeting, each of you may identify the action you want to start with; or you may start with it at your second meeting. You will be provided ideas, information, and suggestions through the → Change Modules, which we are developing throughout 2023 and which will continuously be updated. -
WHAT’S NEXT?
At the subsequent meetings, the members share their experiences, discuss the challenges and achievements, and exchange ideas and tips on how to advance. You may monitor progress individually and collectively, e.g. with the Action Tracker from our Starter Kit, and with a carbon footprint calculator, such as the ones by the UBA or by the WWF: We recommend you to calculate your footprint at the outset, i.e. before or in the first meetings (before you begin with your first Module) and then revisit the calculator regularly, e.g. every 3 months or after a certain number of areas/modules (e.g., after each Module or, at least after 4 and at the end of all). At the end of each meeting, participants should decide whether to continue with the same action area (Module) or move on to a new one.
Our team supports the Change Clubs in the creation process and beyond. The team will provide all clubs with content, tips and information, including the Change Modules that each Change Club can use for inspiration or guidance, while each Club decides where to start and what to do.
See also our Change Clubs’ Guidelines.
Change Club members and facilitators are invited to send us comments, questions, and suggestions at any time. Just send an email to the Team at: info@changeclubs.global, use the feedback form or contact us directly. We will do our best to support you with what you may require. We also aim to organise regular meetings with all Change Club facilitators to foster wider exchange and to establish a platform for exchange among all interested Change Clubs and their members.
THE STARTER KIT
In the Starter Kit you will find additional resources that you may use as a guide and support in the process or setting up and running a Change Club. It includes explanatory material, a template invitation and an information flyer that you may use, tips and tools that help you kick off the meetings, keep motivated and to track progress in achieving change, as well as a section on frequently asked questions when dealing with change and more – to accompany throughout your Change Club journey.
If you are interested in creating a change club, joining one or just in learning more about the initiative, please contact us. We will be happy to send you more information, including on our upcoming webinars and other events that may be of interest to you.
