Our weiter_wirken Capacity Building Programme Wraps Up Successfully @WWirken Be it promoting biodiverse gardens, boosting sustainable fashion or fostering more sustainable food choices, our capacity-building programme weiter_wirken supported non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to increase the impact of their projects by successfully incorporating behaviour change know-how. The programme, which started in October 2020, offered a four-part workshop series to help participants design effective behaviour change interventions for better results in their projects. Having taken the participants through the stages of designing and implementing behaviour change interventions, the final workshop, held virtually in March 2021, focused on evaluation as the final step in the process of changing behaviours. Evaluation ensures that success as well as shortcomings are measured and that the lessons learned are taken into account for future interventions. For example, how can one measure the extent to which an intervention increased biodiversity in an area or whether it contributed to a higher number of local politicians genuinely supporting green actions? Our guest expert, Erik Schäffer, Managing Director and Partner at the Institute for Social Research, Consultancy and Organisational Development in Saarbrücken, used the concept of “Wirkungstreppe” to explain how even the most complex projects can be evaluated in systemic and pragmatic ways. At the final workshop, the participants were asked to bring an object that best symbolised their experience during the weiter_wirken programme. The most prominent objects were a light bulb, as a reminder of all the “aha moments” of the programme, and a plant, as a symbol of how much both the participants’ projects and the group itself had grown together. A formal and hopefully face-to-face event is planned to take place in summer 2021 to discuss the results of the programme and the way forward. In addition, participants will become part of a community of practice and stay in touch to further facilitate knowledge sharing to promote sustainable behaviours. weiter_wirken builds upon the success of our international capacity building programme the Academy of Change (AoC) and brings that experience to NGOs based in North-Rhein Westphalia (NRW). For further information, please visit the weiter_wirken website. To get the latest weiter_wirken news, including information about plans for potential future rounds, make sure to sign up to our newsletter. weiter_wirken is a cooperation project between the Collaborating Centre on Sustainable Consumption and Production (CSCP), ecosign / Akademie für Gestaltung and the Stiftung Umwelt und Entwicklung Nordrhein-Westfalen. For further questions, please contact Christian Malarciuc.