The aim of this activity is to help you understand:

• What skills will be needed to develop our project and grow our impact?
• What skills are already available in our group?
• How will we find the skills that we don't have?

Building your team

Team building in a community energy group involves bringing together individuals with the diverse skills and knowledge you need to develop projects. Everyone needs to have a shared passion for advancing community energy initiatives. These are some of the steps you will need to take:

• Define the vision for your group in order to ensure that everyone is on the same page.

• Identify the skills needed: these include project management, technical, communication, and financial skills.

• Identify key roles and responsibilities: needed to accomplish your goals. These may include project managers, technical experts, community outreach coordinators, financial analysts, legal advisors, and communication specialists.

• Recruit volunteers or members: advertise and recruit volunteers or members who could be interested in your initiative and have the skills or expertise required for the identified roles.

• Encourage collaboration and communication: establish regular team meetings, either in-person or virtually, to discuss progress, challenges, and next steps.

Start doing things

• Pursue low hanging fruits and quick wins: this allows for immediate progress and visible results. It helps build momentum and confidence within a team or organization by demonstrating that goals can be achieved. It also boosts morale, motivation, and engagement among team members. (HINT: search projects and order by short timeframe to get some ideas)
• Recognize and celebrate achievements: Acknowledging the efforts and contributions of team members e.g. whether it's completing a project milestone, overcoming challenges is an important team building measure.

Resources

• CRG Recruitment Flyer short. Example of a recruitment flyer for new members of a community reference group - short version and long version

• Group Skills Map. Example for mapping out your group skills

• Ninja Skills Exercise. A fun game for better understanding your community's skills and knowledge

• Heyfield Community Engagement Plan. Example of a community engagement plan