UNTITLED x DISCOVER OPEN TALKS
UNTITLED and DISCOVER from Pittsburgh have partnered up to organise Open Talks to connect social change actors across borders. They are a great opportunity to learn from the latest work of Untitled members and share perspectives across sectors. The event starts with a talk by a guest from the Untitled community – this time Democratic Society – followed by a joint discussion on the topic. Feel free to forward the invitation to your contacts. Read of DISCOVER here. Sign up for the next event on the 28th of April here.
How to Work with Change Hesitant Cities and Communities?
Thursday 28th of April at 11:30 am–12:30 ET | 16:30–17:30 BST | 17:30–18:30 CEST 18:30–19:30 EEST | 15:30–16:30 UTC via Zoom. Sign up.
The Untitled Alliance member Democratic Society (Demsoc), a non-profit based in Brussels with offices across Europe, is striving to create a democracy that works for the 21st century. Demsoc is a frontrunner of climate democracy focusing on democratising climate action and involving people in the transition to a just, resilient climate future. Because Climate Action enables us a future and Democracy allows it to be a future for all, DemSoc has been working since 2019 with over 14 cities across Europe, collaborating with governments at all levels, citizen-led initiatives, funders, researchers, and other nonprofits to achieve climate resilience through democratic means, what DemSoc terms ‘climate democracy’.
Instead of the boldest climate champions, in this talk Max Stearns will highlight DemSoc’s fresh findings on working with change-hesitant cities. Hesitancy or resistance must be only part of the journey, not the end, and it is important to find ways to mobilise action even in settings that are hesitant to act. In such settings, Strategies for a Networked Approach can catalyse and sustain ongoing shifts toward climate democracy. The Networked Approach is a way to build impactful, purpose-driven relationships and processes around specific projects. These relationships and processes allow collective work to emerge toward transformational systems change. Importantly, while the strategies were born out of complex and initially resistant cities, they can extend beyond those situations: experience suggests that they may show positive effects in courageous cities, too. Read more on Dem Soc.
This Open Talk is the first public opportunity to hear about the work and discuss the approaches and experiences of all the participants on working in settings of hesitancy and resistance. Sign up and share with your networks!
As a bonus for signing up, you will be among the first to receive the new edition of Dem Soc’s Climate Democracy Model that will be published at the end of April.