Classified as: project update
During Stage 2
of this project, I have been conducting focus groups and interviews with people
from Southern Grampians and Glenelg Primary Care Partnership (SGGPCP), Wimmera Primary Care Partnership (WPCP) and
Inner South East Partnership in Community and Health (ISEPICH).
In the
interviews and focus groups we have discussed what they are doing in relation
to promoting equity and environmental sustainability and what they see as the
barriers and enablers for this kind of work.
For SGGPCP and
WPCP, the interviews or focus groups were with PCP representatives and network
members, whereas for ISEPICH they were with individual workers and community
members who had participated in Stage 1 of this project.
Preliminary
overview
Below are my
overall impressions of what the three PCPs have been doing in regard to equity
and environmental sustainability in 2009-12. This is a
preliminary report and I am seeking feedback from the PCPs and
individual participants on this and any other reports as the project progresses.
I see it as part of an ongoing discussion, as this is an action research
project.
During the
2009-12 period, all three PCPs had a focus on equity, and supported capacity
building and projects promoting equity. This would be similar for most PCPs in
Victoria, but these three possibly were relatively advanced in this work. The
main focus of this overview therefore is on what they have done in regard to
environmental sustainability.
I have also started looking at the links between
equity and environmental sustainability in their work, and will discuss this
more in future updates.
SGGPCP had done
considerable work on capacity building in relation to environmental
sustainability and climate change prior to 2009-12, particularly the production
of the “blue book” (Climate Change Adaptation: a framework for local
action). Although the
title is about adaptation, this resource actually encompasses a health
promotion approach to promoting environmental sustainability.
In 2009-12 SGGPCP
moved into an implementation phase and conducted or supported projects
addressing environmental sustainability, including ‘Pass the Parcel’.
WPCP and ISEPICH
both did initial work on building capacity around environmental sustainability
during 2009-12 but did not move into a full implementation phase. Some projects conducted by individual PCP
member agencies and local community groups, however, had a focus on
environmental sustainability. In some cases the primary focus was equity or
social inclusion but there was also an environmental aspect. This seems to be
particularly so with community gardening and community meals type projects.
I will be
documenting examples of projects that addressed both equity and environmental
sustainability over coming months on this blog and encourage research participants to send me
information, particularly evaluation reports if available.
ISEPICH had
specifically looked at the links and commonalities between equity and
environmental sustainability as part of its capacity building process in
2011-12. However, because all three PCPS had a strong focus on equity, these
links emerged in practice in all, even if they had not been explored in theory.
All three PCPs had
also worked on climate change adaptation issues, particularly through Heatwave
projects. In all cases this seems to have led to further work, particularly
with Home and Community Care services, on community outreach to vulnerable
groups. In ISEPICH and SGPCP, there was movement from adaptation towards
mitigation in this work, for example through promoting or supporting insulation
and energy efficiency measures for low income households.
In WPCP the focus seems to have remained somewhat more on climate change adaptation and emergency
responses. This may in part reflect the nature and history of the area, as a
predominantly rural area which was very much affected by the drought in
2001-2009, and by emergencies including heatwaves, fires and floods in 2009-11.
All three PCPs were affected by these factors but I think it’s fair to say WPCP
was the most affected. There may be other reasons and I’m interested to hear
from WPCP people about this.
Enablers
and barriers
Some of the
barriers and enablers for work on environmental sustainability that are
emerging (not in order of importance as I need to do a lot more analysis of
this) are briefly summarized below.
Enablers include champions/enthusiasts, management
and executive committee support, volunteers, government support/funding, Indigenous/multicultural
sharing, and partnerships (including partnerships with people with expertise in
environmental issues).
In terms of working with the community, a key
enabler is to address issues that are relevant to people’s lives and that
provide direct benefit to them (like reducing energy bills), rather than
framing the work around abstract or contested issues like climate change.
Barriers include opposition or lack of support from
management, corporate culture and competing priorities (particularly if
environmental issues are not seen as ‘core business’ for health and community
services), and the current political climate/ uncertainty /conflict over
environmental issues and climate change.
Please feel free to
send me your comments on this, either directly to Valerie.Kay@monash.edu or through the
comments box below.
