Thirty organisations will receive support to help gain the support of the public
A new project has been launched to help organisations communicate the urgent need to take action on climate change.
To equip environmental charities with the skills they need to address this urgent communications challenge of highlighting the urgency of need for action, Media Trust and the Garfield Weston Foundation have partnered to launch the Weston Communicating Climate Programme.
The six-month programme will provide 30 small and medium environmental and climate change charities with specialist skills-building workshops, mentoring by industry experts, media training for spokespeople, help with developing a communications action plan, and peer networking and collaboration opportunities.
In keeping with Media Trust and Garfield Weston Foundation’s approach to place people and communities at the forefront of the discussion on climate impact, the programme will also welcome organisations working on the intersectionality between climate impact and marginalised groups that are, or will be, disproportionately impacted by climate issues.
In addition to the core training for 30 selected organisations, the programme will offer four free sector-wide virtual masterclasses which will be delivered by Media Trust’s media, creative and tech industry partners.
Su-Mei Thompson, chief executive of Media Trust, said: “At Media Trust, we know the sector is facing critical challenges when it comes to communicating the scale, complexity and urgency of the climate and environment crisis, as well as giving a voice to the communities that are the most impacted but often the most under-represented.
"With the COP26 UN climate summit taking place in the UK in November and the ensuing increase in national attention on the climate movement, we hope the programme will empower charities to make their voices heard while inspiring positive action. We are delighted to be working in partnership with the Garfield Weston Foundation to support these charities and promote a more diverse range of voices that are not getting the cut-through they deserve.”
Philippa Charles, director of the Garfield Weston Foundation, said: “Despite Covid-19, our environmental crisis remains real and urgent. We recently commissioned a survey across the UK environment sector and the clear message is that organisations are struggling with the resources to prioritise communications activity so we initiated a solution and are delighted to present Weston Communicating Climate, a free communications programme for UK environment charities that aims to build capability, capacity and confidence.
"This is a pivotal moment, we can address the challenges facing our planet and we hope this programme will support greater impact and help accelerate change.”
You can apply now online.
