Sky Blue - Impact Report - /skʌɪˈbluː/ n. 1. The colour - Common Purpose
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Sky Blue /skʌɪˈbluː/ n. 1. The colour of the unclouded sky at noon Impact Report
Sky Blue is an online leadership programme for people
working on our environmental challenges.
Sky Blue is inspired by the belief that, in order to tackle the world’s environmental challenges,
we need to re-imagine and transform the systems that support our way of life. Many of the
issues involved are extremely complex and cannot be solved by one individual, organization or
sector acting alone.
Therefore, we need leaders who can cross the boundaries of sector, generation, professional
discipline and belief - and build collaborations that deliver results.
The pilot programme
The first Sky Blue programme launched at the end of 2020. Its aim was to:
bring together a dynamic, inter-generational group of leaders from many different fields
who have one thing in common – they are working on an environmental project, idea or
issue that requires them to collaborate across sectors or disciplines
give them the cross-boundary leadership skills, broader networks and peer support that
will help them to produce the quality of collaboration needed to deliver sustainable, and
socially just, solutions for both people and nature.
The ambition
The pilot Sky Blue programme was the first step. The broader aim is to convene a community
of leaders around the world who are committed to our environment and who are working
collaboratively, across sectors and divides, to create a sustainable future.
The ambition, is to develop cross-boundary, collaborative leadership abilities amongst a
critical mass of leaders working right at the heart of these environmental challenges.
“The world needs collaborative and empathetic leaders to take us through the climate
challenge. This course provides the tools and motivation for you to become that leader.”
- Joscelin Holmes, Local Authority Climate Action Co-ordinator, York and North Yorkshire Local
Enterprise Partnership
P 2
100%
Feel better prepared to
work collaboratively
“Sky Blue helped me to
understand that we can solve the
climate and biodiversity
challenges on our planet if we all
start with local solutions. If we
collaborate and understand
ourselves as global movement,
we will be able to contribute to
fundamental change.”
- Gabriel Schwaderer, Executive
Director, EuroNatur Foundation
P 3The Sky Blue pilot programme
The participants Curriculum
We were heavily oversubscribed and The programme comprised of three main
selected 96 people from 37 countries. Of modules – Leading in Unfamiliar Territory,
these, 83 (86%) completed the programme Working across Cultures, and
and became Common Purpose alumni. Collaboration to Transform Systems.
Inter-generational - the group spanned the It ran for 40 hours over 5 months from
generations. The age range was November 2020 to March 2021.
approximately 25 to 60.
The curriculum was underpinned by
Sector and professional discipline - the Common Purpose thought leadership -
public and not-for-profit sectors were very Leading Beyond Authority and Cultural
well represented. We would like to attract Intelligence.
more participants from the private sector
The structure of the sessions was dictated
on the next programme.
by the participant’s time zones which
Gender and geography - the group was spanned -4 GMT to +8 GMT.
comprised of 59% women and 41% men.
They spanned Europe, Africa, the
Americas, Asia and the Middle East.
87% “Sky Blue has been a remarkable experience and
community of like-minded, like-hearted people!! It
Feel better prepared to make an impact has given me ideas, confidence, inspiration, energy,
on environmental challenges and the courage to take more risks! I'm already
making different decisions.”
- Ana Porzecanski , Director, Center for Biodiversity
and Conservation, American Museum of Natural
History
P 4“We wanted to work with Common Purpose on the
MAVA Leaders for Nature Academy because of their
track record, and their expertise in cross-boundary
leadership. It has proved to be a very successful and
fruitful partnership. It is hugely important that leaders
working in conservation, and the wider environmental
movement, are able to work collaboratively with leaders
from other fields.”
- Lynda Mansson, Director General, MAVA Foundation
P 5P 6
Impact
At the end of the programme we asked the participants a series of questions relating to the
Leading Beyond Authority and Cultural Intelligence competencies. We also asked them
some questions about the value of the community, and their desire to continue with the
connections.
100% would recommend Sky 100% feel better prepared to 97% recognize the value in
Blue to another person work collaboratively bringing in wider perspectives
when making key decisions
93% feel better prepared to 96% feel better prepared to
influence beyond their circle of adjust their behaviour in 87% feel better prepared to
authority culturally diverse situations make an impact on
environmental challenges
93% feel better able to balance 97% feel better prepared to
humility and self-belief challenge their assumptions 96% feel better prepared to
adapt to new environments
96% feel better prepared to 89% feel better prepared to
work with people who are thrive in complexity 92% feel more confident in their
different from them voice as a leader tackling
environmental challenges
73% will commit to working on
90% say the Sky Blue an idea or project with at least 1
community will help them to fellow participant 89% feel better prepared to act
make a positive contribution to more courageously in difficult
addressing environmental situations
challenges
“Sky Blue allowed me to get to “I may be young and in my early “I came to Sky Blue very excited.
know other changemakers as -career but I now know I can be The sequence of feelings as the
humans first, and experts an impactful environmental programme went on progressed
second. I started to understand leader, because of Sky Blue.” from excitement to freedom and
how this is key in leading and safety, then deep awareness,
- Tasmin Alexander, Intern/
collaborating within and outside some soberness and then
Researcher, Obudu Conservation
your organization.” empowerment.”
Centre
- Alexander Gunkel, Founder and - Dupe Killa-Kafidipe, Founder,
Managing Director, Space4Good Platinum Fisheries Limited
P 7Participant organizations & countries
AFCD Foundation, Morocco Department of Communications, Climate Action
and Environment (DCCAE), Ireland
Agent Marketing, United Kingdom
Department of Finance, Ireland
American Museum of Natural History, United States
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale
Association Biom, Croatia
Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), South Africa
Bhoomi Network Bangalore, India
Eko Korijen LLC, Montenegro
BirdLife International, Cyprus
Energia, Ireland
BizGees Ltd, United Kingdom
English Football League Trust, United Kingdom
Black Seeds Network, United Kingdom
Environment Agency, United Kingdom
Blackpool Transport Services Ltd, United Kingdom
EuroNatur, Germany
CASELAP (Center of Advanced Studies in
Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN,
Environmental Law and Policy), Kenya
Hungary
Center for Engaged Foresight, Philippines
FoodBlessed, Lebanon
Children's Investment Fund Foundation, India
GC Business Growth Hub, United Kingdom
CH&Co, United Kingdom
Goleen Harbour Ltd., Ireland
Citu, United Kingdom
High Atlas Foundation, Morocco
Clean Earth Energy, United Kingdom
Institute of American Indian Arts, United States
Clúid Housing, Ireland
IUCN Med, Spain
Co.Cre8 Ltd., United Kingdom
JES - Julia Erdmann Socialstructure, Germany
coos.ch, Switzerland
Jordan Green Building Council, Jordan
County Councils Network, United Kingdom
microTERRA, Mexico
Creative Carbon Scotland, United Kingdom
Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development,
Cultivate Ireland Limited, Ireland Croatia
P 8Participant organizations & countries cont...
National Youth Engagement Network, Sustrans, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Swiss Child Rights Network, Switzerland
Native Events, Ireland
Tatton Group, United Kingdom
Nature Kenya the East Africa Natural History
Temple University, United States
Society, Kenya
Thera, Namibia
Nature4Climate, United Kingdom
Tropical Rainforest Conservation and Research
New Philanthropy Capital, United Kingdom
Centre, Malaysia
Nottingham City Council, United Kingdom
TrybOrganics, Zambia
Obudu Conservation Centre, United Kingdom
UNICEF, Ivory Coast
Onda Solidaria, Brazil
United Nations Conference on Trade and
Open Data Institute, United Kingdom Development (UNCTAD), Switzerland
Orbit Consulting, Turkey University of Salford, United Kingdom
Plastic Move, Turkey Utropia, United Kingdom
Platinum Fisheries Limited, Nigeria Wilaya of the Marrakech-Safi Region / Ministry of
the Interior, Morocco
PPNEA - Protection and Preservation of Natural
Environment, Albania Woods Bagot, Hong Kong
PT Supreme Energy, Indonesia WWF MedPortugal, Italy
Royal Meteorological Society, United Kingdom York and North Yorkshire Local Enterprise
Partnership, United Kingdom
Shared Interest Foundation, Ghana
Soil Association, United Kingdom
South Yorkshire Housing Association,
United Kingdom
Space4Good, Netherlands
P 9“The Sky Blue programme has
been an incredible experience.
I feel incredibly privileged to
have had this opportunity to
learn from people all over the
“I was afraid of collaborations
world, which brings together
before because of my previous
thinking about leadership and
experience in such spaces.
conservation. It has made me
However, I now feel confident and
a better person and increased
able to facilitate stakeholders to
my aspiration on leadership.
collaborate in finding solutions to
I can deliver and create a
complex environmental problems.
network that I hope to learn
Thanks to Sky Blue, I can now
from for many years to come.
confidently sit at the collaboration
Awesome.”
table and realize the outcomes
- Mike Evans, CEO, English
with patience, trust, cultural
Football League Trust
intelligence and leadership skills.”
- Theresa Otieno, PHD
Environmental Policy Student,
CASELAP
P 10Looking ahead
The Sky Blue pilot proved to be a very powerful leadership programme for those taking
part. Beyond that it has created a community of leaders committed to working
collaboratively to tackle our environmental challenges.
We want to build on this to:
1. Run more programmes – we want to develop the concept, refine the
programme and grow the Sky Blue community.
2. Develop a community of practice – to sustain the Sky Blue community by
providing opportunities for continued learning, mutual support and the sharing of
ideas.
We are keen to explore possibilities with anyone interested in Sky Blue
If you would like to know more please contact alison.coburn@commonpurpose.org
“Sky Blue was a surprisingly dynamic
process. Having started the course with 90%
challenges around leading a complex
Say that the Sky Blue community will help
project, it was fascinating how the
them to make a positive contribution to
mountains started to move, with only
addressing environmental challenges
a few conscious changes in approach and
behaviour! It certainly helped me think
more about the impact I have (both
positive and negative) within these
situations and how a slight shift or flex
really can make a huge difference.”
- Annette McDonald, Deputy Managing
Director, The Tatton Group
P 11“We are not alone, we have hope, we have
friends, we have lots to do... we are stronger
than we thought... We can make a change and
can build together solutions... We are global
citizens, we are Sky Blue!!”
- Ricardo Calcado, Founder, Onda Solidaria
P 12© Common Purpose Sep-21
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