County Durham voluntary and community organisations eligible for Carbon Literacy bursaries

Thanks to County Durham Community Foundation, voluntary, community, and social enterprises in County Durham can apply for bursaries to cover the full cost of Climate and Carbon Literacy training, through Going Green Together.

Climate and Carbon Literacy training is a short online course over two half-day sessions. Participants gain a deeper understanding of the climate emergency and what practical steps individuals and organisations can take in tackling this crisis and reducing carbon emissions. You will leave this session more confident in your knowledge, better able to articulate what needs to be done, and with an increased sense of agency around your ability to be part of that change. You will also leave with the ability to begin to develop your own action plans, and to develop training sessions for others if you wish to do so. This course is perfect for all organisations at any stage in their environmental journey.

Going Green Together have partnered with Cumbria Action for Sustainability (CAfS) who deliver this training as part of our cross-regional project. CAfS have had great success delivering Carbon Literacy training within Cumbria, and look forward to sharing their expertise with organisations in County Durham.

I enjoyed [the course] immensely. It really has provided me with a solid foundation to build on as I embark upon my own journey towards carbon reduction on behalf of the Charity. -Sonya Roe, Head of Charity Services, Age UK North Tyneside

Before attending the course I struggled to clearly identify the goal posts for tackling the climate emergency. Through taking part I learned the critical points that cut to the heart of the issue, which I now share with participants when delivering workshops focusing on the issue. -James Shepherd, Project Coordinator & Arts Facilitator, Jack Drum Arts

We recently engaged with Hazel and CAfS to plan and deliver climate training to our whole college staff during our annual Staff Conference Day. The session CAfS developed and delivered was excellent and exactly what we needed. Staff found the session informative, thought-provoking and ideal in providing an evidence-based, well-informed overview of the challenges we all face in reducing carbon emissions. CAfS are a pleasure to work with, very well informed and hit just the right tone in the session. - Chris Nattress, Principal, Lakes College

County Durham Community Foundation are offering 30 bursaries for individuals who work in the sector to receive this training for free, as part of an initiative to make environmental training more accessible during the cost of living crisis.

The next Carbon Literacy courses will run on Wednesday 21st and 28th June, and you can view all courses through the CAfS website. One person per organisation can apply for a bursary to cover 100% of the course costs, while further individuals can attend at a special 50% off rate of £69. To claim a bursary, email carbonliteracy@cafs.org.uk with the subject County Durham bursary before booking.