Overview

The Positive Tipping Points Community of Practice is a year-long facilitated process for representatives from organisations, groups or networks interested in applying the tipping points framework to their work. This could include strategy development, impact measurement, or any other application.

As the positive tipping points framework is a newly emerging resource developed from ongoing research, there are no existing blueprints for its application. The Community of Practice will collaborate to imagine, test and feedback on methods of using the framework.

The overall aim of the Community of Practice is to develop a deeper understanding of how to operationalise the positive tipping points framework with organisations of different sizes, sectors, structures and locations.

Members will receive:

• Guidance in using the positive tipping points framework
• Peer support from other members
• Prototype resources to test
• Access to the latest tipping points research

Members will contribute to:

• New ideas for applying the framework in practice
• Peer support for other members
• Collective recommendations for further research, resources, and support
• Decisions on the content and structure of sessions

Structure

10 2-hour online Zoom sessions over 12 months, attended by 12-16 members representing organisations, groups or networks. Members can be from anywhere around the world, but the Community of Practice will be run in English.

We expect members to commit to the full 12 months of meetings, totalling 20 hours. We also anticipate a commitment of (approximately) a further 2 hours a month to share ideas with others in their organisations, groups or networks and to generate feedback and ideas to be shared at Community of Practice meetings.

Dates and times of the April to February meetings will be agreed with the members during March.

There will also be opportunities for additional meetings to be held, including smaller working groups, and these will be decided by the members.

The Community of Practice will be run by the University of Exeter’s Green Futures Network, who will organise and facilitate the sessions. However, the Community of Practice will be a collaborative programme, with members informing the structure and content of sessions.

Timeline

• 1-26 February: Open for applications
• Friday 3 March: Confirmation of successful applicants
• Wednesday 22 March 3-5pm UTC/GMT: Introductory session
• April 2023 to February 2024: Monthly sessions (excluding August and December)
• March 2024 and beyond: Community of Practice outputs to be shared publicly
• July 2024 (TBC): Opportunity to attend (at a reduced rate) and contribute to the second Global Tipping Points conference in Exeter

Selection Process

We are aiming for a membership of between 12 and 16 people to form the Community of Practice, to ensure that members can work together and learn from each other as a group. If we receive a large number of applications then we will explore the possibility of running two Communities of Practice instead of one.

We are hoping for a range of organisations, groups and networks to participate, across different sizes, locations, sectors, and structures. We expect a familiarity with the concept of tipping points, but no expertise is required.

We are particularly looking for members who are interested in applying the positive tipping points framework to their organisation or network, in different ways. The Community of Practice will be a collaborative programme, so it is important that applicants are willing to commit to such a process.

Applications will be considered against the following criteria:

• Engagement in the idea of positive tipping points
• Potential application to the organisation or network
• Engagement in the Community of Practice model
• Ability to commit to the programme structure

Unsuccessful applicants will be able to access any resources or materials that are developed through the Community of Practice, which will be made freely available to all.

If you have any questions during the application process please feel free to contact Peter at gfn@exeter.ac.uk.