6. Implementation
.......... Community Campaigns and Individual Projects

By this stage, you will have an overall Community Action Plan, lead organizations for each issue, and a network of community groups that are interested in participating in the plan and its projects. Transforming the plan into action is the next step. Below are some suggestions on how to go about implementation by:

Step 1........... Supporting individual projects
 There is no shortage of ideas and energy within a community. However, there may be difficulties to overcome before a good idea is turned into a successful project. With a little help from the Coordinating Committee and other members of the community network, local groups can develop projects that will implement elements of the overall action plan. Creating partnerships allows diverse groups to contribute different skills and resources to a common project.

Here's where the Coordinating Committee can help:

Step 2........... Deciding on a Project:
Advice to Community Groups
 Even the smallest of groups is important to a Community Action Plan. The goal is to reach as many people as possible, and every school class, neighbourhood group, local business, and cultural and social group can play a role.

If your group is interested in taking on a larger project, take a moment to review your collective strengths. Try to design a project that will build on your existing skills and resources.

Assess Your Strengths

i) What are the interests of your members?

ii) What is your total membership?

iii) How many people can you expect to attract to an event? How many people can you reach through educational activities?

iv) What are your areas of expertise (as individuals and as a group)? What special skills do your members have? What experience does your group have?

v) What resources do you have? Do you have an operating budget that will cover basic project costs? Are there people who have donated goods and services in the past and who are likely to continue doing so?

vi) How can your group best support a Community Action Plan?

Assess Your Project
 Do you have a project that you think is appropriate for the CAP? Use these questions to help refine it.

i) Is it achievable? Have you set realistic goals for your project?

ii) Does it support a community goal? Are there other organizations with similar or supporting projects?

iii) What are the barriers? Can you think of anything that would present a significant problem?

iv) Who are your friends? Who will assist your project, either financially, through in-kind donations, or with moral support?

 

Sample Project Ideas

There are many types of projects community groups and schools can organize. Here are some ideas that can be adapted to almost any issue or Community Action goal:
Research
  • an inventory of the local natural environment
  • sampling and testing (soil, water, air quality)
  • community mapping to indicate environmentally sensitive areas, or toxic hot spots;
  • research papers on specific issues
  • community surveys or a "needs assessment" (what do people want to see, what do they need to know?)

Education and Awareness

  • door-to-door campaigns / farm to farm / individual contact campaigns
  • landowner contact programs
  • home audits (for toxics, solid waste, energy and water conservation, etc.)
  • local business education campaigns
  • development of general and target specific educational material
  • public displays
  • presentations to schools
  • self-education programs for your group on specific issues
  • information network (establish a network of community experts)
  • an information hot-line
  • special media events (launches, community days, project results)
  • information fairs or parties
 Hands-on Projects
  • adopt an area (stream, woodlot, marsh, street, or urban park) with a look at all aspects of its management and enhancement
  • tree-planting
  • stream clean-up and rehabilitation
  • renaturalization (creating wetlands, urban parks, arboretums etc.)
  • litter clean-up
  • recycling or composting
  • toxic waste collection (with appropriate government approval and participation)
  • community gardens
  • neighbourhood, or community challenges (for transit, saving energy, reducing garbage, etc.)

Government Interaction

  • communicate your priorities to your elected officials
  • learn about and participate in government planning
  • facilitate public involvement in public consultation exercise (Official Plan reviews, environmental assessments, etc.)
  • develop a checklist, or sponsor an "environmental priorities" questionnaire during municipal elections

 

Step 3........... Initiating Special Campaigns
 Here's where things really begin to happen! A community campaign brings all the interested groups in the community network together to tackle one common goal. Each organization designs and carries out its own project consistent with its interests, expertise, and resources. The Coordinating Committee can announce a special campaign for any one of the issues identified in the Community Action Plan. Over the next year, the committee can coordinate a series of projects to achieve the campaign target.

There are three main objectives for a community campaign. These are:

1) achieve measurable results in environmental enhancement and/or resource conservation;

2) promote environmentally-responsible behaviour and attitudes;

3) promote widespread public involvement in community projects.

The campaign will vary depending on the size of the community and the complexity of the issue. For example, smaller communities can reach every citizen more easily than larger municipalities. In addition, some issues lend themselves more easily to community based projects and activities.

Try to select a campaign and a goal that are both challenging and have a high chance for success. Here are some possibilities:

 

Any of these campaigns will require careful planning and the complete support of all sectors of the community. These are some of the steps involved in undertaking a community campaign:

1. Identify the Campaign Target.
The Coordinating Committee should agree on the focus and objectives for a community campaign and draft an initial outline of the projects and activities that could be developed under the campaign.

2. Bring together the key players.
 Coordinate the organizations, government departments, businesses, and others that can take a lead role in developing, supporting and implementing the campaign.

3. Hold regular planning meetings.
At the first meeting, participants should outline the resources they can bring to the campaign and ideas for projects. Try to find a lead organization for each component of the campaign, and a short list of other groups that can be involved as partners. For example, the local utility could develop a home energy conservation kit that, in turn, will be used by community groups in a homeowner contact program, at shopping mall displays, or given away at a community conference on "How to Save on your Energy Bill!"

4. Assist each organization to prepare their project.
 Members of the Coordinating Committee, and other participants in the campaign, should help community groups find the financial, technical and material support they need to get their project off the ground. Try to establish new partnerships within the community: partner community groups with local businesses, corporations, funders, or provincial and federal support. Use the community network to develop a list of groups and volunteers who will help with the campaign.

5. Develop the overall campaign.
Here's a checklist of things to look for in a good campaign:

A good campaign will achieve its targets through several different approaches, including, but not limited to:

We cannot understate the importance of involving as many community groups as possible in the campaign. Most people belong to at least one group, whether through work, home, or community. The community group network provides an unequalled opportunity to reach the entire community through personal contact.

 


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