Adaptation and Communication in a Crisis

***This event has changed with the news that COP26 is postponed***

The EAUC-Scotland Community Engagement Topic Support Network (TSN) will be opened up more widely and will focus on Adaptation and Communication in a Crisis.

We will hear a short summary of what 4 institutions are doing and their thoughts before asking the group what their issues are and what solutions they are putting in place.

Current speakers are:

Sarah Ford-Hutchinson, Communications Manager at the University of Edinburgh
Jamie Pearson, Environment Sustainability Manager at Edinburgh Napier
John Thorne, Sustainability Co-ordinator, at Glasgow School of Art
Cameron MacKay, Environmental Projects Assistant, University of Strathclyde

Each speaker has kindly written their own thoughts in advance as a prompt and as a way of further explaining the theme.

Sarah: "Just as our own lives have changed, so have our audiences. How do you remain relevant to them when they have more urgent matters on their minds? I will explain how the University of Edinburgh's sustainability team refocused their work to understand what their audience needed and then began to provide that through communications"

Jamie: "When I think of adaptation I immediately think of adaptation activity alongside mitigation activity purely in terms of climate change and environmental impact.  But that’s a nonsense!  We’re currently facing an all-encompassing and rapid adaptation of society and health.  How do we learn from this experience in terms of our systems?  How do we adapt and develop our work and relationships with our community of partners and suppliers, people we depend on for everything from supply of resource to removal of
waste."

John:  "Seeing so many suffer makes me sad and anxious. It is difficult to think ahead when grief is so present. But I have hope in seeing our obvious ability as a species to rapidly adapt in this crisis. It is important to recognise this grief and hope, and find meaning from it. 
Covid-19 is showing us we must be more radical in our preparation for crises, and that rapid change is possible and demanded at times. How can FHEIs design and plan - both for this crisis and future rapid transition?"


Cameron: "On the topic of student engagement, I think one big point for 16-35yo audiences right now (from Strathclyde and on wider social media) is consuming content that is uplifting and that gives them something that they can do at home.

For example, our students are asking for tips on how they can be sustainable at home and what the local environmental benefits of home working are. I'd be interested to ask how we could maybe collaborate beyond individual institutions to create content for our audience"