Parenting from a place of values
They say to write about what you know, but instead I’m writing about what I’m spending much of my time thinking about these days; parenting, and specifically, values-led parenting. Last week I heard someone say, for the hundredth time: “good boy” and clap one of my children for eating vegetables/climbing the stairs/not throwing their food […]
Instead of relying on old narratives, it’s time to build power for new ones
Organisations that want to tackle the climate crisis have a duty to ensure that the deeper narratives that their work reinforces, and the values that underpin them, are in service to the world they want to see. Nudge theory – the beloved strategy of neo-liberal governments, businesses and many NGOs alike – argues that many […]
Research shows that research isn’t good at changing people’s minds.
To paraphrase George Lakoff, if the facts do not fit your values, the values stay and the facts bounce off. (Okay, so Lakoff was writing about what he calls “deep frames”, rather than values, but the relationship between values and deep frames seems close). When confronted with inconvenient information, it’s much easier – it requires […]
We’re looking to hire a Values in the Media Project Manager
Common Cause is looking for someone with experience of working within or alongside the UK media sector to lead the development of an exciting new project exploring the impact of the media on cultural values.
Common Cause June newsletter: We’re looking for a new team member
Common Cause newsletter, sent 30/06/22 Common Cause June Newsletter Dear friends, We hope that you are all well and thriving, despite all that’s going on in the world. Apologies for the delay in getting this over to you this month — two thirds of the team were struck with Covid and so things have been […]
Common Cause May newsletter: What do we really value?
Common Cause newsletter, sent 30/05/22 Dear friends, Honestly, putting together a newsletter this month has felt challenging — I am navigating life with almost one-year old twin babies and very little sleep, which has left little room for lateral thinking. I have been reflecting on how entirely exhausted and burnt out many of us are; […]
Common Cause April newsletter: “we are earth. each of us. we are one.” — adrienne maree brown
Dear fellow Earthlings, A lot’s changed since the very first ‘Earth Day’ in 1970. For a start, understanding has broadly shifted away from ‘protecting’ the environment, as the day originally advocated, and towards what’s needed to heal and regenerate it. A single day to honour the gloriousness of this home of ours and call for […]
Are many of us frozen in the face of the climate crisis because we think other people don’t care enough?
Last week, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its third and final report reviewing climate science. You can find summaries and analysis all over the internet, but, in short, the world (read: the biggest emitters and consumers) has only a very slim chance of limiting global warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels and […]
Common Cause March newsletter: Focussing on neoliberalism isn’t enough
Dear friends, Many of us working in networks focused on promoting social change identify neoliberalism as the root problem of the challenges that we confront. As Common Cause often highlights, neoliberalism encourages extrinsic values — the pursuit of material self-interest through the accumulation of wealth, and the desire for social status and public image. These […]
Healing division through exploration of shared values
Originally published 15/02/22 on the Othering & Belonging Institute It seems that we live in a time of polarisation. The most salient areas of public debate are characterised by deep division on, for example, immigration, restrictions implemented to reduce transmission of covid, vaccination, membership of the European Union. In this context, the assertion wheeled out […]