A COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM for Climate Change Be the Change is a community engagement program bringing citizens into meaningful dialogue and personal action regarding Climate Change. The program presents compelling one-day symposiums for outreach and enrolls participants in community action circles for ongoing support. Circles bring the commitment of intention into action with peer accountability as well as providing the support needed in a time of great uncertainty and change. The third vital component of Be the Change is an annual conference & festival where the engaged community celebrate their measured gains and enroll others to join the movement. Be the Change appeals to the concerned and the curious of all ages and genders. It weaves together an aggregate of materials and processes from a number of sponsoring organizations and presents the facts in a relational way. This program continually moves through the stages of outreach, enrollment, sustained engagement, personal action, measurement, and community connection. It is designed to be easily replicated, customized and used by a wide variety of organizations for exponential growth. Many of the program components and processes have been developed and proven successful in their own right by collaborating organizations. The unique combination of these components, configured with additional key elements designed by Be the Change Earth Alliance will launch in Vancouver, Canada on March 29, 2008. The first iteration of this program will culminate in a community conference & festival October 4 & 5, 2008. It will continue to grow and develop in ensuing years. Measurements of the effectiveness of this program and manuals for replication will then be made available to other organizations as quickly as possible. As Paul Hawken, author of Blessed Unrest asserts, ““We need an accelerated intertwining of the over one million nonprofits and 100 million people who daily work for the preservation and restoration of life on earth.”. Desired outcomes for the initial test program is for 1000 people to be engaged in circles within one year, and actively measuring to verify the following results: 1. reduction of home & office heating & electricity by 20% 2. reduction of auto travel by 20% 3. increased consumption of local, organic produce by 20% 4. reduction of meat consumption by 20% 5. enrollment of 5 people per participant in Be The Change circles each year OUTREACH Be The Change Symposium Join us to accelerate the emergence of a sustainable, just and fulfilling human presence on this planet! A series of one-day multi-media symposiums crafted by the Pachamama Alliance and augmented by Be The Change Earth Alliance will be presented eight times in the test program. This facilitated and interactive presentation provides an informative and empowering experience that inspires participants to stand for a sustainable, just and fulfilling human presence on this planet. Activated symposium participants are encouraged to create or join a Be the Change circle to support their commitment to change on an ongoing basis. Community leaders with established circles of influence will be invited to attend the symposiums and encouraged to have the symposium presented to their community. Everyone with a desire to bring the message forward is encouraged to enroll in facilitators’ training so they can personally present the symposium to their communities of influence. Public symposiums will take place in a variety of venues and times as requested. The first symposium that launches the program will take place on March 29th, 2008 at Canadian Memorial United Church in Vancouver. The symposia will be presented at community centres, schools, corporate and crown institutions. ENGAGEMENT Be the Change Circles Recognizing the value and significance of individual actions in creating a sustainable world Be the Change Circles provide individuals with an effective framework for exploring personal values and attitudes and developing new habits in a supportive small group environment. Circle members will be provided with a Be the Change Handbook that guides them through a common process, and offers a variety of activities to support a culture for transformative change. By meeting regularly participants will deepen their understanding of false assumptions and support each other’s intention to change well engrained habits and behaviours. Circles will use the following process. Evaluation: Members take an on-line calculation of their individual eco-footprint to gauge their starting point and recognize their personal impact. The aggregate impact of the circle is also considered. Evaluation is also done for a personal happiness quotient. Goals for change are set in this context. Information: Members will read and dialogue on resource materials compiled by North- west Earth Institute and Be the Change Earth Alliance. Action: Members will commit to taking action on key behaviours as identified in their Greenpeace Green Living Guide and Low Carbon Diet Measurement: Be the Change participants will record their changes regularly on the Be the Change website. They will be able to track their individual contribution, and that of their circle. They will see and compare their progress with the records of other circles. And they will witness the aggregate progress of the Be the Change community. This helps build momentum for the collective movement. Connection: Relational activities outlined in the handbook deepen the connection of circle participants in their process of discussing the readings and their individual process of change. This contributes to the longevity of the circle culture. The website also offers a variety of ways to connect with those in other circles, in the on-line sharing of information, stories of change, recommended resources, community issues, social actions, community events and the experience of the collective movement. COMMUNITY BE THE CHANGE FESTIVAL OCTOBER 4 & 5, 2008 Croatian Cultural Centre, Vancouver, BC An annual Conference-Festival serves to galvanize the rapidly growing community of engaged citizens and further promote the expansion of the movement. Supported by extensive media sponsorship, we anticipate 1000 circle participants will form the nucleus of this first annual celebration on October 4 & 5, 2008. This gathering will blur traditional boundaries of financial, social and generational demographics by joining youth and elders, students and teachers, business, labour and professionals in a creative and informative milieu. During a weekend of inspiring speakers, dynamic discussions with community leaders, interactive workshops and experiential processes, circle participants will celebrate their collective results, receive facilitator training and meet to decide on collective social actions supporting positive change. This is an opportunity to hear and share stories of change. Sessions address global issues with regional applications and personal choice points. Youth will be fully engaged, sharing their perspective and insights. Spoken word, performing artists and musicians open the sessions; aboriginal and multi-cultural ancestral wisdom are woven into the considerations at hand. Dialogue of the day will culminate in an evening festival filled with music, film, visual art, poetry, multimedia and dance, celebrating the values and commitment of a community dedicated to change. Presenting a dynamic blend of recording artists and performers, from spoken word, chanting and inspirational choral ensembles to world beat and electronic dance music, the Festival offers an early evening program and a late night celebration of multi-cultural rhythms compelling participants to dance their praises for the world and their commitment to sustainability. BE THE CHANGE EARTH ALLIANCE is a registered non-profit society based in Vancouver, BC dedicated to working in collaboration with other environmental and social change organizations, performing arts and youth to educate and encourage personal practices to support a sustainable, meaningful and just human presence on Earth. Board of Directors President, Derek LaCroix, QC, PhD Vice-President, Rev. Bruce Sanguin, M.Div Secretary, Toni Pieroni, MA, RCC Treasurer, Russell Quinn, MSc Program Director, Maureen Jack-LaCroix, MA Founding Director, Maureen Jack-LaCroix, has a Masters in Eco-Psychology from Naropa University, and has been a student and leader of group process in humanistic, cognitive and transpersonal psychology for over 15 years. In addition to leading circles for CEOs and facilitating team building with ViRTUS for six years, Maureen brings twenty years professional experience in community outreach and organizing. As Creative Director of Jack of Hearts Productions, she produced large, multi-year annual events built on collaborations and partnerships including: Music West festival and Slam City Jam, N.A. Skateboarding Championship (each became million dollar events and foremost in their field);Tears Are Not Enough Live-Aid initiative (bringing Canada’s entertainers together to raise $3 mill); Gala Opening of Expo ’86 (CBC TV). Be the Change Advisory Council Tzeporah Berman, Program Director, ForestEthics Rev. Matthew Fox, President, Friends of Creation Spirituality Society Alison Jamison, Corporate Consulting Services, Pembina Institute Margaret Mahan, Executive Director, Better Environmentally Sound Transportation Kathryn Molloy, Executive Director, Sierra Club BC Andrea Reimer, Executive Director, Western Canada Wilderness Committee Rupinder Sidhu, Youth Facilitator, Performing Artist, Power of Hope Joel Solomon, Executive Director, Endswell Foundation Coro Strandberg, Principal, Strandberg Consulting Peter ter Weeme, Principal, Junxion Strategies Christianne Wilhelmson, Program Coordinator, Georgia Strait Alliance Nina Winham, Principal, New Climate Strategies Be the Change CIRCLE PROCESS Advisory Team Maureen Jack-LaCroix, Program Director, Be the Change Kate Sutherland, org. dev. and communications facilitator Saskia Wolsak, eco-therapist Jerry Ewan, owner of Playfair Canada & group facilitator coach Jackie Larkin, educator, labour organizaer, facilitator Darcy Riddell, Hollyhock Leadership Institute consultant Kate Dugas, Vancity social marketing, changeeverything.ca, Suzanne Barois, marine biologist Arunima Sharma, youth organizer & consultant Shane Wilson, youth advisor & environmental student Derek LaCroix, Ex. Director, Lawyers Assistance Program Rev. Bruce Sanguin, minister, Canadian Memorial United Church Toni Pieroni, eco-therapist, counselor Rennard Lusterio, communication design consultant BE THE CHANGE Earth Alliance envisions a world where men, women and children live together in harmony with nature in a way that is personally meaningful, environmentally sustainable and socially just. Our mission is to create communities which empower people – individually and collectively -- to support attitudes, values and behaviours which enhance the health and wellbeing of all life on this planet. Our goal is to design and implement community engagement programs in collaboration with other organizations that result in measurable actions to ameliorate the climate change crisis. To fulfill this goal, our objectives are to: • work collaboratively with like-minded organizations to combine resources and wisdom • present multi-media experiential workshops for education and inspiration • enroll workshop participants in ongoing support circles for change • consciously include youth, elders, multi-faith, multi-ethnic, without economic barriers • augment and celebrate the growth of this community movement with annual festival • invite circles into strategic collective actions • create a self-replicating model that spreads easily and empowers others to use it History of Be the Change Earth Alliance Originally called “Earth Revival Society”, this non-profit was founded by individuals grounded in an understanding of eco-psychology, deep-ecology, organizational behaviour, team development and evolving consciousness. Since forming two years ago, the Society has been active in Vancouver, developing and testing various forms of community engagement. Over 20 Earth Literacy circle workshops were designed and delivered. The groups examined sustainable values, humanity’s relationship to nature, and specific personal choices we can make to create a healthier, more sustainable world. Educational materials were compiled, written and distributed in support of these workshops. The circle workshops were very well received, each involving approximately 35 post-secondary working adult participants. Board members have also delivered weekend eco-therapy retreats and numerous public talks on ecological values, the universe story, evolving consciousness and the interconnectedness of all life. In a supportive community, people celebrate their common values and vision. ERS also produced special events for over 2000 participants, including three Earth Day Celebrations and a Techno Cosmic Mass at Christ Church Cathedral with Matthew Fox. A process to develop a comprehensive social engagement strategy then ensued. Program Director Maureen Jack-LaCroix conducted over fifty interviews with leaders in the environmental, sustainability, youth, faith, and arts organizations to determine their priorities, recommended approach and resource materials. The Society concluded that an effective social engagement program could be woven together by augmenting the right combination of existing resources and processes and working collaboratively with organizations locally and internationally. This program has been designed in consultation with the following people. We gratefully acknowledge their time and shared wisdom. CLIMATE CHANGE (transportation, energy, sustainable choices) • Sierra Club, Kathryn Molloy • Better Environmentally Sound Transportation, Margaret Mahan • Fraser Basin Council, Marion Town • SFU City Program, Gordon Price • International Centre for Sustainable Cities, Mike Harcourt • Eco-Trust, Elizabeth Sheehan • Pembina Institute, Alison Jamison • David Suzuki Foundation, Ann Rowan • Vancouver, Councilor, Peter Ladner • Vancouver, Sustainability, Amy Fournier • Translink, John Beaudoin • Canada Line, Jane Bird • ChangeEverything.ca, Kate Dugas • Junxion Strategy Inc. Peter ter Weeme • Lighthouse, Sustainable Building Centre, Helen Goodland • Voters Taking Action for Climate Change PERSONAL HEALTH and GLOBAL WELLNESS • FarmFolk/CityFolk, Heather Pritchard • Labour Environmental Alliance Society, Kathryn Colby, • PLAN Institute, Nancy Ford ,Vickie Cammack, Stefan Lorimer • EarthSave Canada, Dave Way • Work that Reconnects, Joanna Macy • Creation Spirituality, Matthew Fox • Evergreen, Shaugn Schwartz WILDLIFE AND WILDERNESS • Western Canada Wilderness Committee, Andrea Reimer, Sue Fox • Forest Ethics, Tzeporah Berman • Sierra Club, Kathryn Molloy • Georgia Strait Alliance, Christianne Wilhelmson • Greenpeace, Charlie Latimer, John Timmins INTERFAITH • United Church Canada, Rev. Bruce Sanguin, Russ Quinn • Canadian Jewish Congress, Mira Oreck • SGI Buddhist Community, Richard Chu • Multi-faith Action Society, Nancy Chiavario • Cdn Jewish Conference, Eleanor Boyle • Westminster Anglican Diocese, David Dranchuk, Robert Worchester YOUTH • Check Your Head, Kevin Millsip • Pearson College, Youth Leadership Program, Ruth Whyte • Power of Hope, Rupinder Sidhu COMMUNITY CIRCLES • World Youth Forum, Arunima Sharma • Northwest Earth Institute, Mike Mercer • Jasper Sky, consultant • See Circle Advisory Team INTEGRATION • Pachamama Alliance, Mark Dubois • Endswell Foundation, Joel Solomon • SharedVISION, Rebecca Ephraim • Hollyhock Leadership Institute, Karen Mahon, Darcy Riddell • New Climate, Nina Winham • Junxion Strategies, Peter ter Weeme • Strandberg Consulting, Coro Strandberg • Dalai Lama Centre, Connecting for Change, Charles Holmes ARTS, MEDIA & MULTI-CULTURE • Dolly Hopkins, founder of Public Dreams • Coyote Percussive Arts, Byron Chief-Moon • LINK Dance Troupe • Stream of Dreams, Joan Carne • Voice of Nature, Holly Arntzen • One Voice Harmonic Choir, J desVoignes • Aboriginal Front Door Society, Daughters of the Drum • Ganga Giri, world beat ethnic dance • Adham Shaikh, Indian raga electro dub • Michael Franti, social change musician • Pepe Danza & Navaro Franco drummers • Suez Holland, multi-media visuals • Earth Prayers, painter,LoriAnn Latrimouille • Earth Dance, Sobey Wing, Little Woo • Creative Wonders, Diane Lund • Direct Current Media, Josh Thome