Small Groups In Action

Today my Monday Psyc tutorial completed two weeks of action, during which they had tried to adopt more environmentally sustainable behaviours. They’ve been working away in their small groups, facing challenges and negotiating around them, and generally coming face to face with the difficulties of behaviour change even with the best of intentions. (And, of course, of the difficulties being increased when your enthusiasm is only lukewarm.)
It’s great. They’re all engaged and full of ideas, and learning a lot as they go. This is the second year we’ve run this programme, but it is much changed and improved this year with more effective links to social science theory and a better, more fun, basis for group formation and action. Last year it was a mixed success in terms of education, fun, and sustainable outcomes; this year it looks like a definite success in terms of education and fun at least. Still waiting on the sustainable outcomes aspect – how successful will their efforts be? There’s still one more two-week intensive behaviour change period to come, after the holidays, and then we’ll see for sure. My instincts are positive, though. The trick will be whether my thesis is supported – that people who identify strongly with their action groups will be more successful at behaviour change.
Its neat to see this going on. This has come a long way since my thoughts about small group actions first turned up on this blog in October 2006.
It feels good to be doing something concrete to work towards change.