REPORT
2. FOCUS GROUP PLANNING 3.
FOCUS GROUP FINDINGS 2.
FOCUS GROUP PLANNING
2.1
Focus Groups Session Plans
The following
is the plan for the focus group sessions. The focus groups were facilitated by
Tyrer Sorrel based on focus group guides prepared by Community Northwest and the
Northwest Regional Assembly. (Please see 6.1
of the web link appendices for a copy of the full focus group guides).
1. Introduction - What are
we doing and what are focus groups?
- Who are AfS, their
partners and apologies if you are already familiar
- What
is Sustainability?
2. As a whole group explore: - Good
quality of life and advertising/Bad quality of life and advertising exercise
- 3D
media analysis
and then in two groups: Based on
your experience, if sustainability was a shoe what type would it be and why? (Flip
chart sheets) 3. Brand awareness exercise 4.
Brand naming exercise - One word to describe sustainability
5.
How sustainable are you/your organisation? (Individual - Hand out sustainable
questionnaire and then expand) 6. Real examples and how
did you engage “Hard to Reach” 7. Why do you
feel you contribute to sustainable development? 8. Compare
your responses – do you really contribute although you think you don’t? 9.
Has the first exercise changed your view of sustainability? Break
10. “Hard to Reach” Groups and Barriers to
Community Involvement - Using your knowledge of “Hard
to Reach” groups, how would you describe them? What are the things they have
in common? What makes them “Hard to Reach”?
- Do
“Hard to Reach” groups have the time to engage in sustainable issues?
- Based
on what we discussed this morning describe a “Hard to Reach” group fully
engaged in sustainability
- What barriers have you found
in engaging with “Hard to Reach” groups?
- What
solutions did you use to overcome these barriers?
- What
would it take to make them more sustainable?
11.
Reaching “Hard to Reach” Communities - Direct
Mailing: design and advert test
- Local activity: video
workshop design
- Ambassadors: who and where?
12. Summary/Review & Thank You Lunch
and Finish 2.2 Selection and Recruitment
Selection for the focus groups was made from
members of Community North West. Their memebrship profile is as follows:
Community Activity
% of Membership
Alcohol/Drug/Substance
Abuse
1
BME
6
Carers/Advocacy
1
Children/Young
People
9
Community Development
9
Community Welfare
11
Disability
14
Education/Training
3
Environmental
1
Health
1
Housing/Homelessness
3
Individuals
6
Information/Advice
7
Inter-Faith/Church Groups
1
Mental Health
3
Regeneration
8
Special Needs
1
Sports Groups
1
Tenants/Residents Assocs.
5
The Elderly
3
Unemployment/Poverty
1
Victims of Violence/Crime/Disorder
3
Volunteer Services
1
Women's Groups
4
2.3 Make Up of Focus Groups
The
final attendees of the focus groups represented a full range of community activity.
These included employment, poverty, enhancing
the image of region, regeneration, access to services, health, equal opportunites,
not for profit organisations, minority ethnic groups, co-operatives/business sector,
charity/educational sector, urban, rural and coastal locations, councils for voluntary
service, children and young people, colleges and students, inner-city and disability.
However the following key community activities were
not covered: housing, crime, energy conservation, transport, air quality, waste
or nature conservation. Back to TOP 3.
FOCUS GROUP FINDINGS
(Please
see 6.2 of the web link appendices for a copy of the full focus group guides including
evaluation data). 3.1 What is Sustainability?
Sustainability is: Continuity
Principles with balance
Funding
Leave something behind
How
to make choices
Maintaining projects
Local improvements to local life
Keeping good practice
Paying the bills
Any bright ide should be
good enough to last
Independence and innovation
Planning, participation
and progress
Other people not changing their mind every two minutes
Survival
Probably perceived as a woman’s issue due to link to caring,
but shouldn’t be
Lasting
Ongoing strength
Looking after the
world for grandchildren
Commitment
Maximise ue of resources
Recycling
Environmental, social and economic with bedrock of spiritual/cultural
Empower local communities
Why do tomorrow what we should do today?
Meaningful
involvement
Continuous learning
Flourishing
3.2
Key Themes for Engagement Trials and Design of Lead Generator Cards
Key
themes: Enable choice
No commercial messages as
there is a mistrust of them
Give honest information at a local level
Motivators to Action: Choice
Able to act
Access to information
Values focussed
Need to
reach local individuals i.e. ‘community leaders’ then word of mouth
Training and information
Less jargon
Local activity not global
messages
Well funded local networks
Long term and consistent
Make
sustainability easy
Market to ‘everybody’ but group by physical
and geographic, emotional, economic and cultural segments
The word sustainability
needs to be repackaged
Information seminars are important
Scale is also
important
Don’t notice small recycling statements, small labels and
parent companies, just clear large statements and visuals
Objective reporting
not spin
Seen as a negative: Body
image
Consumerism
Over packaging
Junk mail and leaflets
Poor
use of resources
Manipulation
Dishonest information
Saying do something
then not
Exploitation
“Hate plastic bags”
Extremes
Back
to TOP | 
