Residents in Sheffield at an Exchange-supported event tackling food waste. Credit: Adele Drummond.
Our approach to community engagement
Our Storytellers are in a unique position; trusted by local communities, connected to local businesses, and plugged in to national policy conversations. This position is hard earned and down to their long-term commitment to their areas.
We go beyond one-off stories to build lasting relationships which continue to produce successes. When residents link up with local cafes to create a composting network, or a local GP switches their commute from car to electric bike, we nurture the opportunity to show the green transition in action. We have helped to shine the spotlight on green innovations in business, raised engagement in planning applications and supported people to tell their story to Parliament.
We bring climate conversation into the spaces where people are. By adding an energy-saving element to a community garden consultation or broadening a discussion around marine conservation to include wind and wave energy experts, we are joining the dots of the green revolution.
Our storytelling isn’t limited to a page, we also support events, and produce digital and social content. We connect community groups to experts, political representatives, campaigners, and to each other; helping to inspire action and bring positive stories to a wider audience.
Case Study: Community-focused retrofit in Balsall Heath
Exchange spokesperson Abbas Shah speaks at the Balsall Heath retrofit event. Credit: Sam Qusai.
A coalition of community and faith groups in the Balsall Heath area of Birmingham has been engaging residents around the opportunity to apply for Green Homes Grants for energy efficiency improvements, and to support them through the delivery of the work. In September 2023 this coalition helped put on a festival celebrating the engagement work and looking at further possibilities for community-focused retrofit.
The Exchange supported the programming and promotion of the event. Multiple Exchange spokespeople took part in talks and panels, while we secured coverage from regional press and TV, and from the Big Issue. The Exchange publicised the event to decision-makers, designed and distributed flyers with a tagline translated into different languages, and went door to door to places of worship, community centres and businesses, to pitch the event to local people.