The big problem with “community-led” anything

People

Last week, I took part in a research project about community-led energy data governance. Which sounds very serious, but it essentially boiled down to a group of us in a hall discussing whether communities should have more control over their energy data (their data in general) and, crucially, how they might actually engage with it.

The project is run by an Orcadian master’s student who was exploring whether places like Hoy, with its small community, could take charge of their own data instead of it being hoarded by big faceless corporations. I may not have this precisely right, but that was my understanding after the session.

In theory, the idea of grassroots community initiatives is brilliant. Greater transparency, more control and more power - excuse the pun (yikes)!

But theory and reality are two very different beasts.

The problem with “community-led” anything

The issue, which soon became apparent in the workshop, is that community initiatives tend to follow the same pattern:

• A small, dedicated group of people pour time and energy into making something happen.

• The wider community says things like, “Yes, that sounds good” or “Hmmm, I can’t see how it would work” but mostly remain at a safe distance.

• The small, dedicated group slowly burns out because it turns out herding cats, sorry, I mean an entire community, is quite the task and the project fizzles. Everyone sighs and we go back to step one when the next good idea comes along.

• Or worse, the project goes ahead, but a portion of the community doesn’t quite trust it, personalities clash, old grudges rear their ugly heads and it all becomes a bit sticky.

We usually blame apathy is for the lack of engagement, but in my experience, lots of people do care, but they don’t have the time and often, they don’t like who’s running it.

And that’s the tricky bit. In any small community, it’s the same faces heading up the projects. Not necessarily because they’re power-hungry, although sometimes they are, but because they’re the ones willing to do the work. And that can put others off. Maybe they don’t trust the organisers. Maybe there’s old baggage. Maybe they just don’t like the idea of a handful of people making decisions on behalf of everyone else.

So how do you fix it? How do you create something that everyone feels part of?

For people to buy into an initiative like this, yes, they need to trust the those leading it, but it isn’t just about honesty or good intentions. One of the things that made me uncomfortable was the judgement factor. On what level would we be able to see this data?

I tested the prototype and could see my own energy usage and the broader community data dashboard, but I didn’t have access to any individual’s data. That’s important on a community level. But would the project’s leaders have full access? Would Lynda Snell* know I’d had a 15-minute shower because I simply couldn’t bear to leave its warm embrace, and then cast disapproving glances at me at the shop?

I did want to share a screenshot of the platform but the project hasn’t been written up or published yet so that felt a bit wrong, but my electric shower is power hungry. So instead you get a snapshot of the sea.

Ultimately, the project got me thinking about how hard it is to make grassroots initiatives work. The best ideas in the world don’t mean much if people don’t engage with them. So, what’s the solution? How do you get people to get involved?

Answers on a postcard. Or, you know, in the comments.

*Anything community-driven always makes me think of Lynda Snell in The Archers. Archers fan? No? Just me?

Speaking of things that seemed good at the ideas stage…

Dry January.

It’s been a few weeks now. Well, a month. So how did it go?

Honestly? Fine. Mostly.

I breezed through the first three weeks without much thought, feeling quite pleased with myself, but something changed in that last week.

Suddenly, everyone on the telly box was supping large glasses of red wine. And so, on Saturday 1st February, I went immediately back to drinking again and that first glass of red wine was DIVINE.

Did I learn anything?

I think I felt better off the booze, but I can’t quite be sure. Did I sleep better? No, but maybe my weekend mornings started a bit quicker. Plus, it was good to flex my discipline muscles (I do not have many), but I can’t say I had any profound revelations.

If anything, it just confirmed that while I can live without wine, I’d really rather not.

TL;DR:

• Community-led initiatives are hard, and trust is key.

• Dry January is also hard, and wine is key.

All in all, an educational start to the year.

So what’s next?

Retrofitting and permaculture. Although, as I’m learning on my Intro to Permaculture course, through the Permaculture Association, retrofitting is part of permaculture.