Academy of Change

The Academy of Change is a capacity building program on sustainable behaviors designed for professionals working on climate change and sustainability within the NGO sector. 

This year (2020), I was selected to join the 2020 cohort of 40 participants in this program, which runs online and in person between May and September. In doing so, I represent one of my clients, the WaterBear Network/Off The Fence and the NGO network it has created.

Successful behavior change interventions pay close attention to how humans actually think and decide. Private companies have a long history in analyzing customer behavior – products are usually not marketed without exploring drivers of decision making in the buying process. Now the time has come for climate change practitioners to boost the impact of their activities. As we transition towards a low carbon society, significant change will be required. Within that, sustainable behavior change has a major role to play and the thought leadership of NGOs will be critical to make it happen.

The Academy helps individuals build their skills in enabling more sustainable behavior among citizens. This is possible by allowing the integration of evidence-based knowledge about the underpinnings of behavior and behavioral theory into NGO strategies and projects.

By building capacity about the drivers of behavior in a systemic and holistic manner, the Academy of Change’s goal is to enable NGOs to accelerate change in sustainable behaviors and lifestyles that really matter.

Lifestyle choices and behaviors result from a complex interaction of factors acting at the societal level, including economic aspects, social norms and values, regulation, education and communication. For the development of transition strategies towards more sustainable lifestyles, the consideration of these factors as well as their interdependencies is essential.

Academy of Change is a non-profit initiative of the CSCP and Behaviour Change, funded by the KR Foundation.