VicGrid is the government authority responsible for coordinating the planning and development of Victoria’s Renewable Energy Zones. To inform its decisions about renewable energy infrastructure, VicGrid is committed to working alongside communities, engaging early with transparency and respect.
Capire partnered with experiential learning organisation Serious Woo to provide VicGrid staff with a training program to prepare them for a series of community workshops and drop-in sessions held across the state in relation to Victoria’s energy transition.
Approach
Capire worked with Serious Woo to develop a series of master classes using real life scenarios and professional actors. The six-day training program, titled ‘Dealing with Feelings’, was designed to rapidly increase the facilitation skills and experience of public servants facing distressed community members concerned about new energy infrastructure plans across regional Victoria.
Given the complexity and controversy surrounding this topic, the training program focused on de-escalation and conflict resolution. It provided participants with an opportunity to observe and learn how they personally react in stressful situations, building their self awareness and emotional intelligence. The program allowed participants to learn through direct experience and by reflecting on that experience.
Outcomes
By role-playing a variety of situations, participants learned how to channel high emotion and conflict into constructive participation. With its practical and creative approach, the training program successfully prepared VicGrid staff to have complex conversations with diverse community members about renewable energy infrastructure.
