PLEDGEBALL PARTNERS WITH RESEARCHERS AND CLIMATE ENGAGEMENT EXPERTS CLIMATE OUTREACH, TO MOBILISE THE FOOTBALL COMMUNITY TO TACKLE CLIMATE CHANGE
We are absolutely delighted to formally announce our partnership with climate engagement experts Climate Outreach.
Climate Outreach have selected Pledgeball to be their latest Innovation Partner as part of their Climate Engagement Lab. Pledgeball will be working with Climate Outreach, making full use of their expertise, to develop and evaluate the most effective ways for Pledgeball to portray its message and to continue to assess its work.
Who are Climate Outreach?
Climate Outreach works to deepen and widen engagement with climate change beyond the ‘green bubble’. The charity’s mission is to build a social mandate for climate action. Its diverse team of social scientists and engagement specialists are passionate about putting people at the heart of addressing climate change – otherwise behaviours won’t shift and climate policies will fail.
Drawing on the skills of its international multidisciplinary team, a robust social science evidence base and nearly two decades of practical experience, Climate Outreach helps organisations develop climate initiatives that engage people more effectively.
The charity is based in the UK but works with partners worldwide, including governments, international bodies, media, academic institutions, charities, businesses and community groups.
Its Climate Engagement Lab helps UK advocates reach and engage new people – particularly those who are not widely reached by existing campaigns.
What is Pledgeball?
Pledgeball rallies football fans to tackle climate change. It addresses the issues that prevent many from engaging with climate action, the cognitive dissonance, feelings of powerlessness and consequent paralysis. Pledgeball makes the collective impact of football fans visible (of course with a bit of friendly competition – one team has to have the greenest fan base!).
The numbers alone mean that significant change could be brought about by mobilising even a small proportion of them. A mid-sized stadium worth of fans, for example, simply reducing their shower time to 5 minutes equates to taking over 2,000 cars off the road. And this is just brushing the surface of both the impact of harnessing fans and the characteristics of football fandom that make it an ideal platform from which to bring about significant sustained change.
Katie Cross, Founder of Pledgeball, said ‘We are honoured and really excited that Climate Outreach have selected us as an Innovation Partner. It is an incredible opportunity to develop skills, learn from real experts in the field and apply this to Pledgeball. The legacy of the partnership will significantly enhance our working and our already expertly-informed impact assessment.’
David Powell, Lead of the Climate Engagement Lab at Climate Outreach, said: “Climate Outreach is very excited to be working with Pledgeball to help get football fans talking and acting on climate change. We believe this kind of national, everyday conversation is essential to deliver real climate action, and look forward to applying our expertise and research to support this cutting-edge project.”
