[EDIT: Added description for Primer]
The Civis team is working to put together a handbook called ‘Climate Voices’. This handbook is on participating in public consultations, specifically in the environment and climate change domain.
‘Climate Voices’ will act as a go-to guide for anyone who wants to make a difference in environmental law-making. This guide would provide insights into the importance of public consultations in shaping environmental laws and policies. Through real-life examples of individuals, communities, and civil society organizations, readers will discover how public consultations give a voice to everyone, allowing them to express their views and interests on how their environment should be managed.
By suggesting various action points, this guide aims to inspire citizens, civil society organisations and the media, to take creative action and become agents of change for a healthier and more sustainable future through participatory policymaking.
- Overall updates (since the last update)
This is our first update made on Grove, we’re happy to share that work on the Primer has started on sure footing.
- Progress on the goals listed while on-boarding
Our first milestone of on boarding Justice Adda to support with the design elements of the primer has been completed, our research is underway, with our team collating information on 64 public consultations undertaken by the Indian government since 2014.
- Any challenges
None at the moment.
- Any new avenues of collaboration (with other Grantees of RCF or other NPO/NGO)
We are looking to engage with other RCF portfolio organisations down the line, our current focus is on the research for the primer.
- Highlights from the initiatives being undertaken as part of your organization
N/A
- Outcomes you are chasing for the next 6 months (these can remain the same if unchanged since the last update)
N/A
- KPIs (please use this section to let us know of the impact and reach of your work since the last update)
N/A
- Can Rainmatter be of help with anything at all
Nothing at the moment - thank you!
- Any additional details you would like to provide
N/A
- Please also share any images or videos that you have documented as part of your work
Documentation is underway, we will share content as a part of subsequent updates
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ACTIVITIES
Collaboration Post Made
Announcement post on collaboration on the Primer has been made. Draft of the post is available here. Once approved, we aim to post it on February 5th, i.e. Consultation Day.
Timelines and Launch Date of Primer
The date for the launch of the primer has been chosen as 22nd April 2023 - World Earth Day. The team aims to finalise the first draft of the Primer by 28th February 2023, leaving the next three weeks for content review and designing process.
Questionnaires created
Along with our research, we are working to ensure the information available in the primer is practical and nuanced. For this purpose we would be interviewing environmentals, activists and media persons to understand how public consultations on climate policy have been conducted so far, gaps in implementation, awareness, etc.
Two sets of questions and lists of persons to contact have been prepared. Interviews would commence in the week of January 30th.
Intern onboarded
- For the month of January 2023, we engaged an intern, Nivedita Bansal, a student of Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development at Utrecht University in the Netherlands to assist us with research and communications tasks.
- She assisted the Civis team on three tasks:
- Collating information on 64 public consultations undertaken by the Indian government since 2014. The information gathered includes a summary of the draft policy, target groups engaged with, consultation period, organisations involved in promoting the consultation, articles and opeds written around the time of consultation.
- Creating a database putting together organisations working in the environment domain, who we can engage with for outreach activities in relation to the project.
- Questionnaire for interviews with environmentalists and activists.
Designers Onboarded
We have had two calls with the team at Justice Adda to explain the scope of work involved in making the Primer. The Justice Adda team have agreed to design the Primer and are excited to collaborate with us on the same. Formalities for confirming the partnership, such as signing of MoU and finalising scope of work, are pending.
NEXT STEPS
- Analyse all research and data collected with the help of the intern to identify trends and patterns of public consultations in the climate domain to outline the best possible strategies for each stakeholder group identified in the research outline.
- Setting up and conducting interviews with environmentalists, activists and media persons reporting on climate policies.
- Starting the first draft of the Primer post recording learnings from interviews and research.
- Create a timeline for executing an outreach plan based on the decided launch date of the primer.
