ACAN are delighted to announce our new Steering Group! Following our AGM in April we’re happy to say that all available positions were filled and we’re energised and confident that this new group will support and form the direction of ACAN over 2022 and into the next year.
It’s a time of key expansion for ACAN, not only with our growth into new countries and territories but also for funding for campaigns, our programme of events, workshops and collaboration. In an increasingly worrying climate emergency, we’re still as committed as ever to providing a platform for individual agency and collective action.
A recording of AGM will be available in time but please see the below list of new Steering Group, as well as supporting statements from each candidate that gives you a better idea of their focus and aims.
Alliance coordinator: Brigitte Clements
Campaigns coordinator: Joe Giddings
Communications coordinator: Bobby Jewell
Diversity and solidarity coordinator: Rosie Murphy
Events and actions coordinator: Evelyn Choy
Finance coordinator: Josephine Elnaugh
Movement support coordinator: Eugenia Mompó
Movement culture coordinator: Lauren Shevills
Onboarding + replication coordinator: Annalena Henssen
Thematic groups coordinator: James Rixon
Steering group coordinator: Sara Edmonds
Alliance Coordinator
Brigitte Clements
"I think ACAN’s wider mission of decarbonisation through cultural transformation, political pressure and comprehensive research could be greatly enhanced with collaboration and alliances with other bodies. From my understanding, the scope of the work was 1. Admin and Representation at the Steering Group, 2. Responding to Requests and Organising, and 3. Building Alliances.
The scope of alliances is huge, and for me don't have a particular hierarchy. What I imagine the Alliance Coordinator could do it to create an Alliance Working Group of sorts, combining different interests, skills and talents. There are various important groups with whom we could create meaningful relationship with: in Education (StuCAN, University Groups), with similar Action Groups (eg. ACAN, AD, LETi), other Build Environment Groups (Architects Union, Women in Architecture, Urbanistas), and other groups bridging manufacturing, design, production, policy, media, for example.
The second points centres on the question of scale: Local, Regional, National and International, or even decentralised groups. This needs to also have a strategic approach. For the wider mission of ACAN to be achieved we must work with bodies trying to achieve the same thing, share resources, knowledge, passion, and potentially offer financial support.
ACAN is small, but a bastion of integrity and brilliant ambitions and initiatives. I’d love to be part of the next step to leverage our skills, passion & resources to align with groups to build meaningful and productive relationships to further our mission of decarbonisation. I have passion, experience in setting up groups, building networks. Having specialised in sustainable architecture in 2007, the wider ambitions of ACAN are directly aligned with my own."
Campaigns Coordinator
Joe Giddings
"I'd like to continue in the role of ACAN's campaigns coordinator as I feel campaigns are a really important part of ACAN's mission. If they are planned in the right way they can be a focused and targeted way of taking effective action, with potential to have a big impact towards our three overarching aims.
Being involved in a number of ACAN campaigns over the past couple of years has provided a number of lessons in what works and what doesn't work, and looking ahead I'm keen for us to have a more strategic approach to campaigning, I'd love the opportunity to facilitate this. In addition I hope to organise further campaign training sessions for our coordinators, and hopefully our wider membership as well. Thanks!"
Communications Coordinator
Bobby Jewell
"My role as Communication Coordinator would be to continue in my support of ACAN across press, social media and comms. It's a collaborative process working with groups, campaigns, and international chapters and my position is to everyone is supported and ensure messaging is effective, engaging and clear.
One of our main strengths with ACAN's communications has been how we're able to lead the conversation on technical or policy issues around the built environment but also tell a story of people-powered collective agency in the face of the climate emergency.
ACAN's comms, and messaging in the media and on our own platforms needs to continue to reflect that duality as well as be unflinching, inventive and relentless in our call for real climate action now."
Diversity + Solidarity Coordinator
Rosie Murphy
"I am a Coordinator of the Education Thematic Group, an Advocate for the Black Females in Architecture network, a mentor at HomeGrown+, and a graduate from the Sustainable Architecture MArch at The Centre For Alternative Technology. Through my volunteering, activism and projects, I seek to bring environmental and socially inclusive design methods together. I now work part-time at the social enterprise, Matt+Fiona, where young people are asked how their built environment might be improved; educating and empowering them to bring that vision to life through installations and built projects.
As an able-bodied, bisexual woman of mixed White-British and Black-Caribbean heritage, I have personally experienced the isolating feeling of being categorised within the ‘minority’ in certain groups and situations, while also benefitting from privileges in others. I recognise that lived experience of discrimination does not necessarily equate strategic expertise, and am devoted to utilising the knowledge and networks I have already cultivated, while also continually learning to develop ACAN’s approach toward diversity and solidarity.
I’m excited to be taking up this role at a time when public consciousness of climate justice and the intersection of diversity, architecture and environmental activism widens, allowing the possibility to grow from awareness to action."
Events + Actions Coordinator
Evelyn Choy
"My first experience of ACAN was attending the early open meetings in London during the winter of 2019. I remember how welcomed I felt and could see first hand the power of a good event in allowing people to meet and building a network. The potential to contribute to this was what prompted me to intially apply for the role of Events and Actions coordinator. For the past 2 years, under my leadership the events team has held virtual open meetings during the pandemic and has helped working groups run online webinars and events. Outside the virtual realm, we held in-person events in Glasgow for COP26, meeting the challenges of organising hybrid events with multiple speakers as the pandemic was ongoing. The impact of our work has broadened ACAN's outreach and enabled ACAN to branch out of being a London-centric organisation.
For the upcoming year, we plan to continue supporting working groups in running virtual/in-person and hybrid events not just in London but across the UK as regional hubs continue to grow. We would like to give more support to campaign groups and use events as a means to increase engagement and recruit for campaign teams. And we encourage more collaboration outside of the UK to allow cross pollination between similar groups.
As the climate crisis is looming and oftentimes is hard to feel optimistic in the current news cycle, we shouldn't underestimate the power of events in bringing people together and building a collective agency. I'm grateful for this opportunity to work in such a rewarding role and look forward to taking it further this year."
Finance Coordinator
Josephine Elnaugh
"I would like to be considered for the role of finance coordinator for Architects Climate Action Network. I'm a Project Architect who is concerned about climate change. I currently work for a heritage practice, bringing better environmental design to historic buildings. I studied Architecture: Advanced Environmental & Energy studies at university, have attended Greenpeace meetings & follow Extinction Rebellion - when ACAN was formed I was keen to join a network to combine climate change campaigning and architectural practice. I attended a few ACAN meetings at the start of 2020 but with Covid & work commitments I could not make the time to contribute fully. I have since qualified as an Architect & Certified Passivhaus Designer, with studies complete I now have the time to join ACAN more fully which is why I'm putting my self forward as finance coordinator.
I am confident with numbers, have an A Level in Mathematics, completed passivhaus - quite a number reliant course, and have experience filing tax returns/submitting invoices. I would be keen to participate in researching grants and would be happy to liaise with accountants. It would be excellent to become the finance coordinator for ACAN and be a part of the Steering Group to bring further disruption to 'business as usual' with fellow architectural and construction professionals."
Movement Culture Coordinator
Lauren Shevills
“ACAN is essential for the mobilisation of the architectural workforce. I don’t believe that there is another organisation currently providing the space that ACAN does. We need to bring everyone along in this journey and I think the environment & space that ACAN provides is key to supporting this. This is what particularly interests me in the movement culture role, a role which as a lot of potential in supporting a healthy culture within the network.”
Movement Support Coordinator
Eugenia Mompó
“I would like to apply for the Movement Support role because, after almost two years of being involved with ACAN, I know that my skills and motivation would help to fulfil the tasks that come with it. I’ve been in the Embodied Carbon group and the Scottish regional group, which I coordinated last year. I’ve also supported the Network by editing videos, graphic creation and media support amongst other things. It has been great to be part of ACAN where I have had the chance to learn, contribute and meet amazing people with the same interests. This would be a great opportunity to give back, help the group to keep growing and be part of new future achievements.”
Onboarding + Replication Coordinator
Annalena Henssen
“I would like to improve the process of the onboarding and make people feel welcome in ACAN and to streamline the delegation of tasks in the groups. I think this role is right for me as I want people to find their place in this organisation and thus make it stronger and more agile to work on all the different interest we have.”
Thematic Groups Coordinator
James Rixon
"Having joined ACAN during the middle of last year, I have had a great time getting to know people across a number of the thematic groups.
I am looking forward to working with the thematic groups and helping facilitate the amazing collaboration that is part of the joy of ACAN. I am also keen to work with StuCAN groups to help transition student members into the wider network."
Steering Groups Coordinator
Sara Edmonds
"In the wake of the IPCC's most recent report, and with emissions still on the rise, it has never been more critical to continue to push for meaningful action. One of the most impactful ways we can do this is through collaboration and knowledge share. We are social beings and building trustworthy alliances is one of our most powerful tools in affecting change at pace.
The role of Steering Group Coordinator aligns with the activities that I have been carrying out over the last couple of years. Volunteering can be exhausting but also has to be balanced with the demands of life, so to concentrate on these activities, would be an effective and efficient use of my time.
My intention is to maintain a regular structure for the Steering Group to operate to the best of our abilities. With all of the great work going on, we must ensure a steady grounding, that encompasses the sometimes less glamorous tasks of administration, is underpinning this. ACAN has done a great deal of organisational work and I would like to ensure this is built upon by managing the continuation of key items like the ACAN handbook, our Theory of Change and general processes and procedures."