From Learning to Action: ECCAN and Hope for the Future

With the Scottish Parliament elections approaching in May, now is a key moment for communities across Edinburgh to bring their voices into political conversations - sharing lived experience, local priorities and practical ideas for climate action.

Over recent months, ECCAN has been working with Hope for the Future to support our network to engage confidently, constructively and meaningfully with political decision-makers. This work has taken shape as a progression, moving from shared learning and preparation into direct conversation.

Advocacy at the Autumn Assembly

Our collaboration began at the ECCAN Autumn Assembly in November, where Hope for the Future facilitated an Advocacy Workshop focused on how communities can engage with political influencers and decision-makers in helpful and effective ways.

The session explored what makes advocacy work in practice - from building relationships and understanding political context, to communicating community priorities clearly and constructively. Participants reflected on their own experiences of engaging with politicians, shared challenges and successes and considered how community-led climate action can be articulated across different political perspectives.

The workshop helped demystify advocacy and created a shared understanding that community voices are most powerful when they are informed, prepared and collective. The slides from this session are available to view here.

Power mapping online

In January, we built on this work with an online power-mapping session, again facilitated by Hope for the Future. This session invited participants to step back and look strategically at where influence sits locally and nationally.

Together, we explored questions such as who holds decision-making power, where relationships already exist, and how different roles - from community organisers to elected representatives - interact within wider systems. Power mapping offered a practical framework for thinking about who to engage, when, and how. Hope for the Future have created a power mapping guide to support this learning, available to view here.

Political Roundtable: bringing it together

The final stage of this process is our upcoming Political Roundtable with Hope for the Future - an in-person event creating space for community members to sit down directly with MPs, MSPs and Councillors from across the political landscape.

The afternoon is designed to support participants throughout:

12:00–13:00 | Working lunch & preparation

We’ll begin with a working lunch, giving time to reconnect, revisit power mapping and refine the questions we want to pose. Matthew from Hope for the Future and the ECCAN team will be on hand to support this session.

13:00–14:30 | Political roundtable

We’ll then be joined by elected representatives for a facilitated roundtable discussion, creating space for open conversations about community-led climate action and local priorities in Edinburgh.

14:30–15:00 | Close & informal conversations

Time to reflect, continue discussions and connect before the event closes.

With the elections approaching, this roundtable offers a timely opportunity to share community perspectives, ask meaningful questions and help shape the conversations taking place in the months ahead.

How to get involved

The Political Roundtable is open to ECCAN members and supporters, and spaces are limited on a first-come, first-served basis. Ideally, participants will have engaged with the earlier sessions. If that hasn’t been possible, support is available to help you catch up in advance, including slides from the Assembly and the power-mapping resource from session two.

We look forward to continuing this work and to bringing community voices into the room at this important moment.