Green Talk - Young Green Perspectives on Collective Action.

Hello! And welcome to Green Talk!

A series of blogs where we aim to showcase the breadth and depth of perspectives within our Scottish Young Green National Council.

For the second edition, we wanted to ask the following question:
In light of the recent "The Big One" event organised by Extinction Rebellion, it's clear that collective action will be increasingly essential if we wish to protect the environment.

As Scottish Greens and Scottish Young Greens, what can we do more of, to better involve ourselves in the broader environmental movement?

So let’s have a little…

Green Talk

Neil Watson (He/Him) -
Website and Content Officer for Scottish Young Greens

Answer: One of the main struggles in developing collective action is establishing goals, and subsequently figuring out how to actualise them.

Having something to work towards sounds simple, but it is often difficult to establish a vision that multiple groups can latch onto, while also structuring it in a way that considers how multiple organisations can best contribute to those goals

I think the main lesson, that we as Greens can take from this event, is the value of establishing commonly shared objectives that multiple groups can collaborate on and work towards.

Furthermore, it’s import to consider the outcomes. What do we do if a form of collective action suceeds and what do we do if it fails?

Any sucess should be seen as a footstep to greater progress, and any failure as a step in building future sucess.

Amy Kettyles -
Social Media Officer for Scottish Young Greens

Answer: I think as young greens, we need to be showing the strength these climate movements have by showing up in numbers.

Protests and demonstrations are the best way, as well as contacting ours mps, msps, cllrs and any other rep you can think of.

Sophie Brodie (She/Her) -
Co-Convenor for Scottish Young Greens

Answer: Well, for starters, we can use what we have to our advantage...

( 1 ) We have networks - within Scottish Young Greens, the Scottish Green Party, on Slack, on social media - that we can share things through. If you're aware of an event that's happening near you then please tell us! Post in #event-announcements or #direct-action if there's something worth coming along to, and we'll get the word out amongst our regional groups so that we can gather and contribute to important demonstrations, rallies, and protests.

( 2 ) We have the power to organise. Something that The Big One event did really well was organise how people could get there and contribute, and answered their questions about how they could get involved. We can do this too by making sure that, if we're planning to attend events, we think about travelling there together, and also think about how inclusive and accessible these events and campaigns are. This could be anything from; checking that the route of a march is wheelchair accessible, or that there are public transport stops nearby meeting places, to covering presence at an event on social media by sharing your photos with us or even getting in touch to arrange a social media takeover!

( 3 ) We know how to keep each other safe. We can reassure people that they only need to get involved with what they're comfortable doing. For instance, some people would rather turn out in a physical capacity at a gathering or march, whereas others may wish to share information on social media and put up posters in their window. When it comes to your safety, there are no forms of activism that are 'better' or 'worse', but rather, what's 'best for you'. We make use of bust cards at protests from fabulous organisations like Scottish Community & Activist Legal Project (SCALP), and we report and block hateful comments and replies to posts on social media. We can make use of tools like Activist Handbook, and refer to our Code of Conduct and Safe Spaces Policy to help us take steps towards change in the most inclusive and sensible ways. No two actions will be the same - Friday's For Future protests have remained largely peaceful, whereas some demonstrations such as those run by Just Stop Oil can get a little spicy (both lie on a spectrum that manages to break through to news and media and send messages to decision-makers!) - so it's important to us that you feel informed and equipped before participating.

( 4 ) We have the power to apply political pressure. As a representative group of the Scottish Green Party, it's up to us to hold elected Green representatives to account, and to help them do their jobs in pushing for progressive policy and pressing action in government contexts. For us, this could mean that Scottish Young Greens National Council are approached by an organisation or made aware of open letters by our members, asking us to contribute and co-sign. Our name now has some weight behind it (!) and can help make things happen. Whether this is international, national, or local campaigns, or perhaps something more topical, we have the ability to feedback on consultations and put our names on petitions. We can visibly support things as an organisation, such as the Teach The Future campaign - for which we recently attended the Parliamentary Reception for - or we can mobilise and ask our members to sign important petitions like the campaign to Protect Firefighters (that's a live one being run by the main party that we'd encourage you to read about and sign). Further to this, we can sign petitions and statements as an organisation, as well as submitting organisational responses to government consultations - if there's anything you'd like to see us putting our name behind, let us know, and we'll draft a response for National Council to vote on and submit to these consultations and petitions.

( 5 ) Social Media! We're the youngest group of activists on the political scene, with membership starting from as young as 12 years old (you can join us here, btw :eyes:). As the youngest, we're more likely than other generations to be on multiple social media platforms, so let's use them to spread the message. Whether you see something that you'd like us to gather behind and support, or you want to send a signal boost to the amazingly funny and relevant graphics we post on our accounts, help us out. You are a broadcaster - a little fish swimming through the vast and vibrant sea of change - and we need you to play your part!

If you have any ideas, information, or questions about collective action and campaigns, you can let us know by:

Leaving a message in #direct-action, #general or #ask-a-member on Slack

Sending a direct message to Co-Convenors, Alyson and Sophie, on Slack or at convenor.syg@scottishgreens.org.uk

Sending us messages or tagging us on social media @scotyounggreens

Ruth Elliott (She/Her) -
Co-Convener for Lothian Young Greens

Answer: I think as a party in general we’re pretty good at going to protests!

But perhaps we could make ourselves louder and more widely known?

It would be really good to set the precedent in the young greens that we are a party of protest and going to demonstrations large and small is normal for us.

Not just for the young greens that follow after us, but also to set an example for the rest of the SGP to keep striving for radical change!!

Heather Gilda (She/Her) -
Inclusion and Diversity Officer for Scottish Young Greens

Answer: A wicked problem as widespread as climate change requires an equally vast and collective response to effectively tackle the problem. Working together at the local, regional and international level is the only way we can tackle a problem that ignores our man-made borders. Our window of opportunity to mitigate this complex issue is narrowing - there is no better time to act together than now.

No doubt members of the Greens are doing all we can to lessen our environmental impact and carbon footprint at the individual level, as well as at the macro level via dismantling the structural and systemic factors that contribute to climate change and the deterioration of our ecosystems. Naturally, no collective action can exist without individuals - individuals that have harnessed eco anxiety and anger, and channelled these emotions into working towards a more sustainable and greener future. As instrumental as this has been, we must also be conscious of how the most powerful reforms will stem from governments and corporations working in unison to tackle this wicked problem.

As overused as the saying is, power lies with the people and there is absolutely strength in numbers! Standing in solidarity with other green movements such as the Extinction Rebellion is a pivotal part of creating the sense of urgency that is needed to put pressure on institutions that have the power to create widespread and meaningful reform that’s needed. As Margaret Mead so aptly puts:

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

Acting collectively also creates a sense of community for individuals seeking to make a difference and combat our converging eco-social crises. In this endeavour, we shall not underestimate the importance of feeling like we are a part of a collective, a part of something bigger, and the role of hope. It can be hard to feel optimistic that our actions have power in the face of our climate crisis, biodiversity loss and socio-political turbulence. Yet, there is reason for hope when we remember our comrades who are fighting alongside us and the positive strides we have already made towards a greener future. Stories of species bouncing back from the brink of extinction, record breaking levels of renewable energy being produced and used, the establishment of new nature reserves in Scotland are stories we need to hold onto for some much-needed optimism in our collective fight.

Always remember the wise words of Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez… “we’re all in this together!”. I jest - on a more serious note - I’m currently reading “The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide in Trying Times” by Jane Goodall and Douglas Abrams. It contains a thought-provoking dialogue of how hope is desperately needed in today’s climate of ‘doom and gloom’. It also explores Jane’s ‘Four Reasons for Hope’: the amazing human intellect, the resilience of nature, the power of young people and the indomitable human spirit. If you are in need of a pick-me up, I would highly recommend reading this uplifting book to recharge your activist batteries!

We hope you enjoyed this! And look forward to returning with another edition of Green Talk, in May!

Neil Watson (He/Him) -
Website and Content Officer for Scottish Young Greens