GREG POWELL, 06 AUG 2010

When it comes to social movements and community organizing, some people burn out after a single campaign while others are able to endure bitter defeats without surrendering. These people persist with their vision for a just society and a healthy environment. Are these 'persisters' super human? Perhaps they're independently wealthy and don't have the same life stressors as the rest of us. It turns out that there is a combination of factors common to those who just don't give up.

Many of the ideas below are from James Downton, Jr. and Paul Wehr's 1998 article in the Journal of Peace Research entitled, "Persistent Pacifism: How Activist Commitment is Developed and Sustained." For the sake of this post, I'll assume that the peace movement and the environmental justice movement are sufficiently similar in terms of why people persist.

Wehr and Downton say that people stick with an initiative (or movement) when four factors are present: membership in an organization, sufficient management (e.g., time management) skills, the individual finds some personal benefit to being involved and involvement offers a creative outlet.

I happen to like this list and if I reflect upon my own experiences, I'd say it fits. Of course there are always some anomalies - I can think of a few people who have been working on environmental issues for years despite lacking time management skills, but by and large the list works for me.

If you think the list is missing a few key components, such as commitment to a vision, you're right. The list builds on the assumption that an individual is already engaged (the factors influencing whether a person becomes engaged will be discussed in another post).

Let's explore the four factors that determine whether a person will stick with an initiative or movement.

Membership: If I have some kind of membership in an organization, I am more likely to feel a sense of ownership. This would give me a vested interest in the success of the organization I am a member of. The David Suzuki Foundation and the Sierra Club, for example, are member-based organizations; they are accountable to their members and their members are more likely to remain engaged on environmental issues over the long term than those who don't have any such memberships. The Pembina Institute, on the other hand, doesn't offer formal membership but it builds its constituency in other ways, such as social media, events and subscriptions to various communications vehicles like its electronic newsletter.

Membership can present a barrier, in that membership requires a certain amount of commitment upfront. So while membership is one factor in creating commitment, it probably isn't an effective recruitment tool. Another challenge with membership is that it can create an in-group, out-group feeling with associated politics and rivalries.

Management: A well-organized person who has mastered time and financial management is less likely to burn out than someone who lacks these skills. These skills will increase personal effectiveness within an organization, leading to a greater sense of fulfillment tied to that organization. Therefore, the chances of sticking with a vision increase with mastery of management skills. Some people are naturally adept at management while others need a little help - but help is definitely out there.

Personal gain: The peace movement of the 60s, 70s and 80s gained support from those who didn't want to suffer the repercussions of war - either directly, by being drafted, such as in the case of the Vietnam War, or indirectly, by potentially being killed by nuclear attack, such as during the Cold War. Waging to protect a local water source or recreation area would offer similar personal benefits. Climate change, however, doesn't offer the same level of personal gain. The effects of climate change feel intangible to some (even though the impacts can be felt today) and slowing climate change generally doesn't offer a lot of immediate or extrinsic personal reward (although the intrinsic benefits are many). Perhaps this lack of short-term personal gain is why the climate justice movement has ebbed and flowed.

Creative outlet: People have a desire to express their creativity. Repeatedly performing the same tasks or organizing the same event manufactures exhaustion. Creating something new, however, reenergizes and inspires engagement. The local food movement is benefiting from this phenomenon tremendously as people create new gardening space and watch seeds transform into food. Some people have a natural tendency for creativity and if they are to remain engaged, they need to be given opportunities to contribute to the movement by releasing this creativity. A movement that incorporates music, drama, visual art and other creative outlets is a movement that will sustain duress. 

Dozens of people from several countries contributed pink squares of wool - knitted or crocheted - to act as a juxtaposition to protest the war in Iraq

If we are going to sustain the environmental justice movement, we need people to have a sense of ownership, and membership is one way to offer this ownership. We need to help people develop their management skills, perhaps by sponsoring a management workshop for members. We need to highlight the personal gain that comes from participating in the movement, and if the personal gain isn't obvious, we need to find ways to reward participants. Finally, we need to ensure that our activities offer a creative outlet, such as yarn bombing. Combining these four factors will help us avoid burnout and maintain interest in striving toward the vision of a just society with a healthy environment.