Effective approaches for community engagement and behaviour change

Community-based behaviour change is widely considered as a key component of progressing sustainability. Increasingly, educational engagement programs are being delivered to build the capacity of community members to adopt more sustainable behaviours. But just how successful is this approach in achieving long term change? To try and answer this question, the National Centre for Sustainability (NCS) at Swinburne University of Technology conducted a longitudinal evaluation of the City of Whitehorse's Sustainable Ambassadors program. For the last two years, this innovative program has trained community members to become 'change agents' within the context of their peer network of friends, neighbours, or workplace. Participation in the program requires each community member to learn about behaviour change theory and practice and then design and deliver community-based behaviour change projects. The evaluation process included a survey of twenty five Sustainable Ambassador participants (56% response rate). Key research findings indicated: (1) 72% of participants self-reported their project as successful in achieving 'change'; (2) Targeting diverse community groups is an effective approach for integrating sustainable behaviour through the community; (3) Individuals who are organised in a group of like-minded people are more likely to remain committed to ongoing sustainability activities; (4) The majority of participants continued sustainability projects after their participation in the program; and (5) Networking opportunities are important in supporting ongoing change after program completion.