We are very excited to announce the launch of Egin, our new mentoring programme supporting communities in Wales to tackle climate change and live more sustainably.  It is especially for people who haven't taken climate action before or who are the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change.

With the many challenges we're facing now and in the next few decades, it's more important than ever that communities can come together to talk, plan and create the changes they want to see - to create a future that is fair, sustainable, and that works for everyone.

We know that it can be hard to know where to start and what to do, which is why we connect community groups with Peer Mentors. These are people who have already done similar projects and are happy to share their knowledge and skills to help you make the changes you want to see.

Once groups have created an Action Plan and received mentoring they may be eligible for a £15,000 grant to help with project costs.  Sustainable Steps Wales – Egin grants are offered by The National Lottery Community Fund – read more about eligibility for them here: Sustainable Steps Wales – Egin grants.

Egin is led by Development Trusts Association Wales (DTA Wales) and will run until 2029. It is funded by a Sustainable Steps Wales - Mentoring Grant; the grants are administered by The National Lottery Community Fund and the funding comes from the Dormant Assets Scheme – which donates money left untouched for more than 15 years in bank accounts and building societies.

We have built on the experience of our previous programme, Renew Wales, which helped hundreds of communities take action on climate change from 2012 to 2022.

How to get involved
 

• Join our Egin Online Community   https://egin.community

One of our goals is to build a community across Wales – grassroots, local groups connecting with each other to share their visions, ideas and lessons learnt. As part of Egin we are happy to introduce a new interactive, online community where groups, mentors, charities, NGOs and anybody interested in tackling climate change can join together to learn more about each other’s projects. As part of the Egin Online Community you can be inspired by finding out what else is happening around Wales, discuss problems and solutions with other community groups, and meet like-minded people in your area. The Egin Online Community will also let you to share your photos and videos, create events and invite others, find out what projects and organisations are happening around you or start new discussions around the topics you care about. Go to egin.community and click “Request to join” – you will be accepted if you are in or near Wales and your work or interests are aligned with climate change and sustainability. The Egin Online Community is available in English and Welsh.

• Sign up for the Egin newsletter

https://egin.org.uk/get-involved/subscribe-to-our-newsletter/

You will receive an occasional email from us keeping you updated on what’s happening – what events are in the pipeline, stories from people receiving our support, and anything else that is newsworthy.

• Tune into Egin’s social media   

 Facebook Twitter Instagram LinkedIn website

• Tell people about Egin

Do you know a group or organisation who might be suitable for support through our programme? Please ask them to get in touch https://egin.org.uk/contact-us/ or via egin(at)dtawales.org.uk.
 

• Apply to be a Peer Mentor

We are open to applications from people with experience of successful community action on climate change or sustainability and desire to share this with others.
In particular we are keen to hear from people based in North Wales and people who are fluent in Welsh but are happy to consider anyone!
Take a look here for more information. The deadline for applications for this recruitment round is Wednesday 22^nd March.