Things we have learnt, what we have tried, what has worked and what hasn’t in the world of Revolution Twelve in the first quarter of 2019…

January – we took up veganism for a month. Fitting in with the Veganuary movement, which has become quite well established this year. Most of our beta testers found it enjoyable and reflected on the environmental and health benefits more than anything else. Meat and dairy free food is pretty mainstream in the UK now, so no one really had a problem adapting their diet. It was more of a positive challenge in that it helped people reflect on what they were eating and where it came from. Many found they cooked more from scratch and ate more healthily than they would have normally. A good legacy for some – continuing to use dairy free milks or cutting down permanently on meat etc.

February – this was supposed to be taking up exercise, but for almost all of the beta testers, we fell flat after a few days and never really got into the swing of things. This might be because we did not set up or plan any support as we were too busy to write emails, texts etc…

March – we gave up social media and for most of us it was a revelation and generally a very positive experience. Some actively chose to not give up some elements (like Facebook for work etc.). I feel this could be supported better (again, no comms from R12) and have a much bigger impact. With good run up and support through the month, I feel it could be a more powerful and challenging experience… In addition, some of us took up daily cold showers. Because, why not?…

Onwards – April is no sugar. and spans easter… Should be interesting to see how everyone interprets it. May is meditation. June is ditching plastic…

In general, we do not have the time to create and send lots of supporting material, but the beta group are checking in occasionally on a WhatsApp group which is useful, especially at the end / start of each month as a tool for group reflection and planning.