Sustainability Victoria is delivering a series of free workshops in partnership with BehaviourWorks Australia and Councils across the state, to help volunteer and community groups learn how human behaviour can play a role in successful sustainability projects.
The workshops are designed for community volunteers who are working to create sustainable changes across their community and include:
- An introduction to key concepts of behaviour science
- Tools and frameworks to help participants develop behaviour change interventions that will enhance the effectiveness of their sustainability projects
- A practical session to apply gained knowledge to participants’ own program or project
Sustainability Victoria’s Regions and Community Action Director, Katie Pahlow, said that Sustainability Victoria is mobilising Victorians to create a better environment, now and into the future.
“These workshops are an opportunity to increase the capability of the many passionate community groups across the state who are often volunteer-led,” Ms Pahlow said.
“Community volunteers work hard to drive sustainability at a local level, yet rarely get the opportunity for training or professional development. These workshops will give community organisations a framework for designing more impactful behaviour change projects while supporting our transition to a clean, circular economy and a thriving natural environment.
“Councils have strong relationships with community groups and can help spread the word through their networks. Having successful sustainability projects in every council area across the state will not only improve the local environment but enhance the wellbeing of residents.”
BehaviourWorks Australia is the largest applied behaviour change research unit in Australia and believes most problems can be partially solved by influencing the behaviours that underpin them. By using insights from the behavioural sciences, organisations can find out more about influences on behaviour and the types of interventions that are most likely to work.
Central Goldfields Shire Council was the first Victorian council to run the workshop and its Sustainability Officer, Julia Walsh, said that it was wonderful to have an opportunity for community groups to learn about behaviour change and how they can strengthen their own sustainability initiatives.
“This workshop was a fantastic forum to build capacity in these groups, so they can achieve better outcomes for our community,” Ms Walsh said.
The behaviour change workshops are running over the next six weeks across Victorian local government areas. Each interactive workshop will run for four hours including lunch and provides places for 20 participants.
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