Climate Action: Campaigns and Movements
Olympian Fields of Action Series Post #13.2 — More Ways to be Together Enough
We are continuing our discussion of the sixth characteristic/imperative/goal of The Climate Movement, being together enough. As discussed previously, there are three essential qualities of being together enough: (1) shared goals; (2) a continuous supply of action events, and; (3) meeting together regularly.
In this post we are looking at campaigns and movements.
Is a campaign and a movement the same thing? Are these terms interchangeable?
No. They share some similarities, but are not the same. Campaigns are organized by a person or a collective entity like an organization or a coalition. Someone or some group is in charge and determines the goal or goals, the deadline, and, for the most part, how the goals will be achieved.
No person or collective entity is in charge of a movement, including the Climate Movement. Our Movement Value of freedom is at the core of who we are.
For example, I have articulated what I believe should be our vision, purpose, and Major Goal in 18 words: to overcome climate change by creating a just and prosperous sustainability that enhances wellbeing for everyone and everything.
To invite you in to this way of seeing things, I have described them as “our vision, purpose, and Major Goal” or “the Major Goal.” I have done the same thing with what I call “our Movement Values.”
To be honest, I do it also for the sake of shorthand, and in the hopes that you and other readers will begin to accept them.
But, unlike in a campaign, I have no positional authority to claim that these are our vision, purpose and Major Goal or our Movement Values. Some may grant me a degree of deference or respect and accept or at least consider these suggestions. But no one is obligated or required to do so. Because of our value of freedom I must persuade you to accept them, or we must come to an agreement on their ultimate formulation and our courses of action.
Because of such freedom, movements are organic. Campaigns are more structured, disciplined, and linear, even as they adapt to changing circumstances. Most are designed to be strategic. As discussed previously, The Climate Movement must be both organic and strategic enough, a challenging but dynamic and beneficial symbiosis, and our fifth characteristic/imperative/goal, which is covered in its own 3-part Subseries (part one, part two, part three).
Campaigns, Initiatives, and The Climate Movement
So how can campaigns and initiatives help us to be all we need to be?
They can help us to be big and broad and active enough, our first characteristic/imperative/goal, by attracting new people to their efforts who also decide to become a part of the Climate Movement by personally making a sustained commitment to collective action over time to achieve our vision, purpose, and Major Goal. As such, the actions in the campaign or initiative of these newfound Climate Action Artist-Athletes are not just one-offs. They won’t go home, so to speak, once the campaign is over. They’ve made a commitment.
In addition, as I mentioned in an earlier post, the softer style of initiatives can serve to invite in a broader segment of the population who may not see themselves as “movement-types” engaged in campaigns.
Campaigns and initiatives can help us to be passionate enough (our second characteristic/imperative/goal) by the ways they inspire us to action and bring us together to achieve victories that make a difference. The acts themselves, especially when we feel joined together in common cause, brings forth passion.
By engaging us in meaningful action, campaigns and initiatives can help us to be deep enough (our third characteristic/imperative/goal) by creating situations where we might ask ourselves why we’re in this fight. They don’t create our deepest commitments, our strongest values, or our most cherished relationships, but they can create conditions that prompt us to anchor our actions in the deep places of our hearts.
Campaigns and initiatives help us to be our fourth characteristic/imperative/goal, dynamic enough, by engaging us in tried-and-true campaign strategies and tactics, by providing us the structure to be disciplined enough to achieve our goals, by creatively coming up with new ways or new twists on old ways to secure victories. When campaigns and initiatives give Climate Action Artist-Athletes the freedom to be creative themselves within the structure of the campaign, like Dick Fosbury’s coach did by allowing him in competitions to execute his “Fosbury Flop” technique by jumping off the wrong foot backwards, gold medals can be won by those almost cut from the team.
Campaigns and initiatives can make tremendous contributions to helping all of us to be strategic enough. As individuals we can be strategic in deploying ourselves on the Fields of Action that fit who we are. But on such Fields of Action we must join with others in common cause to be strategic.
Campaigns give individuals the gift of being strategic.
Remember, to be strategic means to employ our time, talents, tactics, and resources at the right time and place and in the right way to maximize our chance of success. By organizing individuals to achieve a goal, campaigns and initiatives give individuals the gift of being strategic, of achieving a victory we could not win by ourselves, of becoming a part of something greater than what we could be on our own.
Campaigns and initiatives are one of the best ways for us to be together enough. They are strong in two of the three ways: shared goals and a constant stream of action events. It is action events, like a march, for which campaigns are particularly known. The third way, meeting together regularly, will vary with each campaign.
However, if campaigns and initiatives were the only way we were together, it would not be enough. On their own, campaigns and initiatives will not make us together enough. They must be complemented with other efforts such as Climate Action Teams that meet together regularly.
At some point, campaigns and initiatives come to an end. That is one of their defining characteristics. Of course, organizers and participants can extend a campaign if they so choose, by establishing new goals, deadlines, and decision points. But at some point they will end.
As such, campaigns and initiatives can only supplement other organized efforts like organizations and Teams in helping the Climate Movement to be long enough (our seventh and final characteristic/imperative/goal, discussion forthcoming).
Even so, their contributions can be vital. They can give a boost of energy and excitement to our efforts, propelling us forward, helping to maintain our momentum. They provide us with victories that keep many Climate Action Athletes in the game, keep us coming to practice, keep us in training until the next contest comes around.
Climate Action Teams and campaigns/initiatives can form a strategic symbiotic relationship, each benefiting from the relationship as they make their contributions to achieving our vision, purpose, and Major Goal. Climate Action Teams keep us together during “the off season” between major campaigns. That doesn’t mean Teams aren’t doing actions together when we are not engaged in campaigns. We must.
But campaigns and initiatives are a chance to come together with a much larger group to achieve victories not possible by a Team. Such victories, combined with the solidarity found with our Team, can help keep us on our Fields of Action, continuing to make our contributions and our future come faster.
The Climate Movement, campaigns, initiatives, Climate Action Teams, they all make hope happen. They embody this truth: we are the hope we’ve been waiting for. Join us!
If you are new here, check out our Intro Series, as well as other posts in this Olympian Fields of Action Series. If you like this post, please “like,” comment, and share. And thanks for all you’re doing.