1000 Better Stories

Neigborocracy - an Indian success story in grassroots governance

In our last episode this year, we hear about the success story of Neighbourocracy movement in India, its promise for community driven action on climate and its current expansion into Europe.
Tim Daly recorded a conversation with Joseph Rathinam, Director of International Networking and Development for the Neighbourocracy Network, during his visit to Scotland at the end of September. They introduce history of the movement, its principles, examples of how it’s worked in India, and the ways it could help tackle climate issues. They also explain how everyone can get involved in spreading this way of working here in Scotland and the support available. We also hear brief reflections from three of the participants in Joseph’s workshop hosted by Galgael Trust at Govan in Glasgow: Laura, Gehan (one of GalGael directors), and Kim.
Tim’s work was funded by SCCAN’s Storytelling mini-grant. Applications are open until December 31 for anyone who would like to contribute a story to the 1000 Better Stories podcast or blog.
Tim Daly is a Community Worker in Cumbernauld. He’s been involved with Neighbourocracy since December 2019. He has helped to develop networks in Portugal and the UK, as well as contributing in a small way to the recently released Sociocratic Neighbourhood Circles (SONEC) booklet. All this has been done under the guidance of excellent teachers such as Father Edwin Maria John, Joseph Rathinam and Nathaniel Whitestone.
Credits
Tim Daly – interviewing and recording
Kaska Hempel – editing
Resources
Tim Daly contact: magiadocirculo@gmail.com
Joseph Rathinam contact: rathnamjoseph@gmail.com
 
Neighbourocracy in India http://neighbourocracy.org/
Sociocratic Neighbourhood Circles (SONEC) Handbook https://sonec.org/sonec-handbook/
Neighborhood Community Networks https://ncnworld.org/
Sociocracy definition from Sociocracy for All website https://www.sociocracyforall.org/sociocracy/
GalGael Trust, Govan https://www.galgael.org/

Soil and Soul project - bringing soils to life for the people

Our guest host, Katie Revell, invites you to hear a sample of stories from the Soil and Soul project.
The stories explore the importance of soil as a precious and threatened living resource for growing our food and how local community groups in Glasgow have worked to connect to and care for their soils.
Soil and Soul was a collaboration between the British Society of Soil Science, a Glasgow-based group of artists called Open Jar Collective and Propagate. Propagate are a worker-led collective focused on local, community and sustainable food projects, and the podcasts document soil workshops they run with Glasgow community groups over the last year. The project was supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The Soil and Soul podcasts were part of the exhibition at the World Congress of Soil Science, held in Glasgow in August 2022, to highlight to the delegates that “ordinary people” care deeply about soil if they are given the chance.
Katie Revell is a podcast producer, a member of the Open Jar Collective and SCCAN’s Storytelling Circle.
If you’d like to hear more of the Soil and Soul podcasts, you can find them on
Propagate website
Spotify, Google Podcasts or Soundcloud (search for Open Jar Collective)
On Izi Travel audio walking tour app, where you can see a map of the different groups and their locations
Credits
Production and editing: Katie Revell
Music: Blue Dot Sessions
 
 

Seeding New Climate Hubs - SCCAN Regional Networking Project

In today’s episode you will hear Kaska Hempel’s interview with Gill Davies, a Manager of SCCAN’s Investing in Regional Networks Programme, which has been funded by the Scottish Government.
For about a year now, she’s been recruiting and supporting regional network coordinators, working to strengthen relationships among community organisations within Scottish regions. This work will feed into the roll out of Scottish Government Regional Climate Action Hubs over the next year. You can listen to our last episode to find out more about the two hub pilots which are already in place.
You will also hear brief introductions from five regional network coordinators:
Julian Holbrook from Midlothian, Gordie Campbell from Scottish Borders, Steven Clark from Dumfries and Galloway, Marie Stonehouse from Argyle and Bute and Alison Stockwell from Western Isles.
Production and edit: Kaska Hempel with help from regional coordinators.
Resources:
New SCCAN website: https://sccan.scot/
SCCAN’s Investing in Regional Networks Programme – coordinators and contact details:
https://sccan.scot/network-building/
Community groups mentioned by regional coordinators
Argyle and Bute: Grow Food Grow Dunoon on Facebook https://m.facebook.com/Grow-Food-Grow-Dunoon-107142828547484/, Dunoon Area Alliance https://www.dunoonareaalliance.org/
Scottish Borders: The Hornshole Greenway Project in Hawick https://www.hornsholegreenway.com/
Western Isles: Uist and Barra Foodbank on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/Uistandbarrafoodbank
Dumfries and Galloway: Galloway Glens Landscape Partnership https://gallowayglens.org/
Mid-Lothian: Penicuick Community Development Trust https://penicuikcdt.co.uk/  

Climate Action Hubs pilots - connecting local communities for change

In today’s episode SCCAN Story Weaver, Kaska Hempel, talks to managers of Climate Action Hub pilots funded by the Scottish Government. Alison Stuart is the manager of North East Scotland Climate Action Network (NESCAN) and Joan Lawrie, the Project Manager for North Highlands and Island Climate Hub and the development manager in Thurso Community Trust. The hub pilots have been in place for around 2 years now and they represent a new way the government plans to support community climate action across Scotland.
Tune in to the next episode for an update on how SCCAN is helping grow regional networks in preparation for the next phase of Climate Hub devlopment.
Production and edit: Kaska Hempel
Resources
NESCAN hub website https://www.nescan.org/
Northern Highlands and Islands Hub https://www.nhclimatehub.co.uk/
Transition Fund and Green Participatory Budgeting via NESCAN https://www.nescan.org/pb
Climate week North East festival (Next edition 24 March-2April 2023) https://climateweeknortheast.org/
Highland Climate Festival https://www.nhclimatehub.co.uk/highlandclimatefestival
Orkney Climate Festival  https://www.nhclimatehub.co.uk/orkney-climate-festival
Carbon Neutral Islands Project
https://www.gov.scot/news/zero-carbon-islands/
https://www.insider.co.uk/news/six-scottish-islands-announced-carbon-26994830
Regional land use partnership NorthWest2045 https://www.northwest2045.scot/nw2045-land-use-partnership
Climate Action Towns (see our previous podcast interview for update on year 1) https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-3jfiv-12c216e
Golspie and green growth accelerator funding nature-based solution to flooding https://www.gov.scot/news/accelerating-green-growth/
https://www.northern-times.co.uk/news/climate-action-group-to-hold-public-sessions-in-golspie-281046/
Scottish Government Investing in Communities Fund https://www.gov.scot/publications/investing-in-communities-fund-round-two-draft-guidance-note/

The power of traditional storytelling to shift our community narratives

In today’s episode Kaska Hempel, SCCAN Story Weaver, speaks to Alette Willis, one of the researchers involved in the Shifting The Narrative project funded by the British Academy, and carried out by researchers at the University of Edinburgh, with SCCAN as a partner. The project investigated how traditional storytelling can help communities achieve place-based climate action.
Alette shares her wider experience around using narrative work to drive change in communities along with the key findings from this recent project, ahead of the publication of the official report in October.
Credits
Production and edit: Kaska Hempel
Project collaborators:
Alette Willis https://www.ed.ac.uk/profile/alette-willis
Jule Hildmann https://www.ed.ac.uk/profile/jule-hildmann
Arno Verhoeven https://www.eca.ed.ac.uk/profile/dr-arno-verhoeven
Ramsey Affifi https://www.ed.ac.uk/profile/ramsey-affifi
Additional information/workshops:
List of story recommendations will be posted on Alette’s Restorying the Earth website along with BA project report and ongoing updates: https://restoryingtheearth.com/
Global Lab: Shifting the Narrative: Story Work and Nature Crises. Workshop at the International Storytelling Festival, 25 Oct, 2pm online Registration: https://sisf.online.red61.co.uk/event/913:4444/913:18197/
SCCAN Stories for Change workshop: Place-based storytelling using izi.travel app audio tours online, 9:30am-12:30pm, 13th and 27th of October https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/407887411227  
Dancing with Trees Eco-tales from the British Isles by Allison Galbraith and Allete J Willis: https://restoryingtheearth.com/about/
 

Community lessons from Climate Action Towns project

Our Story Weaver, Kaska Hempel, talks to Karen Ridgewell about year one of Scottish Climate Action Town project, delivered by Architecture and Design Scotland (https://www.ads.org.uk/)  and funded by the Scottish Government.
Karen shares lessons and tools for empowering communities to plan for their own climate friendly and fair future.
Production and editing: Kaska Hempel
Resources
Climate Action Towns report on A&DS website (includes a list of community engagement and planning tools used by the project):
https://www.ads.org.uk/resource/climate-action-towns-year-one-lessons-report
Delivering place-based approaches in Scotland event, 27th of Sep, online: https://www.ads.org.uk/event/climate-week-2022-designing-changing-climate
Place standard tool (including place standard tool with a climate lens): https://www.ourplace.scot/About-Place-Standard
Place standard
https://www.ads.org.uk/resource/place-standard
SEPA Flood Risk Map https://map.sepa.org.uk/floodmaps
2050 Climate Map https://coastal.climatecentral.org/
Heat Resilience Map https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-62243280 (this was produced by 4 Earth Intelligence - they offer more detailed info but you would have to pay for the service).

Cloud walkers - how stories can tackle climate anxiety in children

In this episode we focus on helping children process their climate anxiety in a holistic approach using stories. One of our mini-grant recipients, Maria Barros, invites us on an immersive and interactive journey with Nefelibatas (Cloud Walkers), and SCCAN Story Weavers Kaska Hempel and Joana Avi-Lorie chat about Joana’s research and practice in using such stories to help children tackle anxiety.
Mini-grants of £250 are available to anyone wanting to contribute content to the 1000 Better stories podcast or blog so please get in touch with Kaska or Joana on stories@scottishcommunitiescan.org.uk.
For future developments of Nefelibatas projects check Instagram: Nefelibatas (@nefelibatastory)
Or contact: nefelibatasnasnuvens@gmail.com
Nefelibatas credits
Story and narration: Maria Barros
Sound production: Rui Morgado
Logo: Márcia Fernandes
Interview credits
Recording and editing: Kaska Hempel

Storylines - turning climate data into stories of place in the Outer Hebrides

Have you ever tried to get your head around climate models? And what they show may happen in the next 50 to 100 years to the places you where you live, places which you love and care about?
What would it really mean for you or your children?
Today we bring you a story behind an Outer Hebrides Storylines project aimed at exactly that. Combining creativity, oral history, and science to help local people and communities engage in adaptation planning in the way that’s meaningful to them.
The project got support from SCCAN’s Pockets and Prospects fund as well as NERC, Adaptation Scotland, and Làn Thìde Climate Beacon and involved several partners. 
The story was recorded and produced for us by Matthew Logan, Community Energy Scotland, and one of the leads on the project.
We also hear from Dr James Pope from the Met Office, Eleanor Pratt from Adaptation Scotland, and a Lewis-based artist, Sandra Kennedy, who carried out the commission.
Resources
Tuil is Geil Storylines on Soundcloud https://soundcloud.com/andraennedy
Dr Pope’s presentation about science climate change expected in Outer Hebrides: https://youtu.be/ot113okUgtg
Dr Pope’s blog about the project: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/musical-messages-creating-bespoke-climate-story-outer-james-pope/
Sandra Kennedy’s blog about the project: https://lanthide.org/blog-sandra-kennedy-crafting-tuil-is-geil-storylines/
Storyline Project info on Làn Thìde Climate Beacon website: https://lanthide.org/climate-storyline/
Community Energy Scotland https://communityenergyscotland.org.uk/
Adaptation Scotland https://www.adaptationscotland.org.uk/
Climate Beacons https://www.creativecarbonscotland.com/project/climate-beacons-for-cop26/

Echoes of seven men of Knoydart

Join Luke Winter, one of our mini-grant recipents on his adventure to Knoydart. Stories of the land and how it has changed hands in recent history. 
Grants are available to anyone wanting to contribute content to the 1000 Better stories podcast or blog so please get in touch with Kaska or Joana on stories@scottishcommunitiescan.org.uk.
Producer: Loris S. Sarid (https://lorisssarid.bandcamp.com/ )
Writing/recording: Luke Winter (https://www.storiesforstrangers.com/)
 
Background information:
Knoydart Foundation: https://knoydart.org/about-the-knoydart-foundation/
History of Knoydart land ownership: https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-75580
Seven Men of Knoydart song lyrics: http://mysongbook.de/msb/songs/m/menofkno.html 

Creative collaborations for climate justice: Wee Wardrobe

In this episode we continue a conversation about how community organisations involved in climate justice work can benefit from collaborating with creative practitioners.  We hear from another partnership within Creative Dundee’s CULTIVATE project - Joyce Reid from Transition Dundee and their creative partner - Jade Anderson. Their collaboration focused on a community wardrobe project and destigmatising the idea of second hand clothing.
Listen to the previous episode to find out more about CULTIVATE and the creative collaboration centred around Community First projects based in Forfar, Angus. 
Production and edit: Kaska Hempel. Illustrated with excerpts from Wee Wardrobe documentary with permission from Jade Andreson.
Resources
Transition Dundee: http://www.transitiondundee.com/ 
The Wardrobe: http://www.transitiondundee.com/thewardrobe
Wee Wardrobe event in February - programme and contributors https://creativedundee.com/2022/02/cultivate-wee-wardrobe/
Jade Andreson: https://www.jadeanderson.org/home 
Wee Wardrobe Documentary with voices from community groups: https://youtu.be/jImheKAwaxk
Oor Memories / Oor Stories compilations from:
Stand Easy Productions
the Boomerang Community Centre’s Reminiscence Group
Dundee Rep’s Engage group, Rep Juniors, for 11–13-year-olds.
Jade’s talk “Sustainable Choices and Social Stigmas for the Working Class”  for Zero Carbon Tour’s event in Dundee.