Cities Power Partnership (CPP) was a network of 186 local governments working towards a zero emissions future. At CPP I worked closely with the Program Development Manager to ensure the program aligned with the organisation’s mission and addressed the needs of councils. I identified opportunities for new initiatives and embedded design principles into our work, including empathy and co-creation.

At CPP we needed to navigate a variety of challenges, such as:

1. Minimising the burden of data collection on councils: CPP was a free program for Australian councils to join, which came with a requirement for them to complete an annual survey and report on the climate pledges they made when joining the program. Previous surveys were cumbersome and posed challenges for time-poor council officers with competing priorities.
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2. Increasing our team's access to data and improving operational efficiency: Operating within the resource-constrained environment of a non-profit, CPP needed an easier way to share insights from the annual survey councils were required to complete. We needed to shift from dependence on one person sharing the findings to access that was more inclusive and equitable.
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3. Engaging deeply with a broad network: COVID-19 restrictions curbed plans for in-person workshops in Western Australia to support sustainability officers. This limited opportunities to engage this part of the country (we were all based on the east coast!).

The three challenges listed above were navigated with different - yet interrelated - initiatives, each involving a seperate process.

• Survey responses: Improving our data collection processes helped lead to 90 percent of member councils (n=158) completing the survey, as well as the average time required to complete it significantly reduced.
• Strategic planning: Decentralising access to data and providing a tool for analysing survey responses increased capacity in the team to make data-informed decisions that better aligned with program goals. This enhanced planning for key initiatives, such as the Climate Summit for Local Government.
• ‍Workshop delivery: Over 50 sustainability officers from councils around Western Australia participated in the discovery workshop. Key themes were identified and used to inform planning for two in-person workshops the following year (2022), which took place in Busselton and Perth. This paved the way for the in-person workshops which collectively hosted over 40 councils and provided an opportunity for sustainability officers from across the state to learn, network, and identify best practice climate initiatives. The workshop was highlighted on the state's news that night - helping raise awareness in the region about the importance of local councils in delivering climate action.

• Prioritise creating a space for cities to step into. strengthening relationships between councils is just as important as presenting the latest climate science.
• Don't hold the steering wheel so tightly. Seizing control of direction-setting can undermine the collaborative nature of networks, turning them into rigid hierarchies. This weakens engagement, and diminishes the impact of solutions.
• Avoid becoming a bottleneck. Networks flourish through dynamic, multi-directional connections and fast information flow. Organisations acting as gatekeepers can stifle connections and knowledge sharing.
  
• Less is more. Be mindful of how much energy people can bring and apply to a workshop.
• Be intentional and transparent with workshops. To build trust make sure you're transparent about how you plan to use people’s input.
• New tools require collaborative learning supported by proactiveness. To encourage uptake of a new tool engage people early in the process and don't assume once the tool is built they will change their ways of working. Prioritise collaborative learning.