The Homeworks project is now seeking groups to test an innovative new climate action toolkit in their communities
Homeworks is a collaborative project between Common Knowledge and the National LGBT Federation with an aim to empower people to take practical climate action in their homes and communities.
Over the course of 9 months we brought together individuals and community groups to create a Climate Action Toolkit.
33 individuals and 8 community groups across Ireland during two week-long residencies at Common Knowledge to co-create and test a Toolkit that could support people to take practical climate actions both in their home and their communities.
On this first of two residencies, 25 people from across Ireland came together to look at ways for communities to pool their strengths to take practical climate action at home - in terms of housing, energy, food, and waste. We then hosted 8 representatives from community groups based all over Ireland to to road test the toolkit that this group has created.
During the residencies participants co-created the Toolkit whilst developing skills that will support them to catalyse change in their community.
Participants learned , How to use tools to mend, build and fix, The principles of permaculture, before practicing these skills on site, Basic principles of energy efficiency in buildings, How to create shared resources like community gardens and sustainable projects in our communities.
Access the Toolkit here - Homeworks ‘Tools for Community Climate Care’
Homeworks is a collaboration with National LGBT Federation (NXF), publisher of @GCNmag and it’s part of the Community Climate Action Programme administered by Pobal on behalf of the @dept_ecc.
The co-creation was facilitated by Rachel Mulqueen and the team Connect the Dots Ireland
We were so delighted to have the brilliant Gorm media with us for the journey as we were co-creating the Toolkit onsite in Common Knowledge - they made this beautiful video to go alongside the Toolkit!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XwMIIv4ydA
Project Coordinator for HomeWorks Aoife Hammond has spent over 15 years working in the social enterprise and community sectors in Ireland and says: “Projects like HomeWorks have a knock-on effect for communities, and we see a positive impact as people from the residency takes skills and knowledge they learn at the Common Knowledge Centre home to their own communities.”
Access the Toolkit here - Homeworks ‘Tools for Community Climate Care’
For more information on the project contact - aoife@ourcommonknowledg.org
“At the Homeworks residency I learned so many great skills and that when we work together you can have so much more impact”
Danny, Homeworks Participant
“What I’m taking home to my community is more awareness around energy use, waste disposal and reusing materials we have. Even if I can’t change the political economy of this world, to make a little space in my life for climate action and see what grows from that”
Summer, Homeworks Participant
“Building community is climate action. We need each other to be resilient. It’s beautiful to know that there are different people in different places continuing the struggle, and we’re not alone”
Emma, Homeworks Participant
Project Team
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Aoife Hammond
Aoife Hammond has spent over 15 years working in the social enterprise and community sectors in Ireland most recently co-founding Fulacht Fia Café – a community café in County Leitrim and previously as manager of The Dublin Food Coop in Dublin 8. Aoife also works as a musician, community activist and independent events organiser, facilitating and promoting events in solidarity with grassroots organisations.
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Fionn Kidney
Fionn is co-founder and co-CEO of Common Knowledge. He has spent his career creating momentum for new projects across the public, private and non-profit sectors. As a queer man, Fionn is passionate about the role that HOMEWORKS can play in supporting LGBT+ and other marginalised groups to take practical climate action at home. He is Chair or Inishturk Community Club CLG and a member of the board of Anu Productions. For Fionn, Common Knowledge is a place we can all play a small part in addressing the housing and climate emergencies whilst building deeper community.
Supporters
HOMEWORKS has received funding from the Community Climate Action Programme, which is aimed at facilitating community climate action through education, capacity building and learning by doing. The programme is administered by Pobal and has been funded by the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications.