Communities for Future: Catalysing a citizen-led transformation in Europe and beyond
Communities for Future (CfF) aims to mainstream community-led action on climate change and sustainability.
A community-led initiative (CLI) is any form of action undertaken by self-organised groups of people, often living in the same locality, towards social and environmental goals. Use of the term community-led stresses the leadership of and within communities that take initiative to bring about the changes they wish to see. They don’t just speak out against problems, they take concrete action to address them and help create a better world.
Communities for Future is an action programme to inspire and enable transformative change at local, community level in response to the climate and ecological emergency. The lessons drawn at community level promote and support transformation at national, regional and international levels. CfF includes, among others, ecovillages, transition and permaculture groups.
Key elements of the Communities for Future action programme are:
A coordinated call to action for citizens and communities
Access to information and support for engaged citizens/communities and their supporting organisations and networks
Strategic action towards transformative policy, legislative and institutional change at all levels and across all sectors
Upskilling of transformative change makers through training and sharing of best practice
CfF will Inspire, Enable, Advocate and Learn, its four main domains of action
Catalyse new conversations and connections at local community level (Inspire)
Support and assist communities to take the leap from awareness to action (Enable)
Work with policy makers to create enabling conditions (Advocate) and establish a platform for ongoing knowledge co-creation and peer learning (Learn)
Our Origins
Communities for Future was launched in September 2020, inspired by the #FridaysForFuture climate strikes and driven by a desire to encourage and support citizens to take action in their communities to address the social, climate and environmental emergencies.
It draws on the work, experience and knowledge of members and partners of ECOLISE, the European network for community-led initiatives on climate change and sustainability, which is spearheading the programme.
CfF has received support from the European Union, RURENER and RIPESS Europe, among other organizations.
