'PlaneSpeaking' Community Empowerment Project

“In Paisley, Plane Speaking has been effective at building community awareness of the issues surrounding airport expansion that we can have a voice, do not need to suffer in silence, and can together stand up to the airport operators.” Jimmy Kerr, Paisley

The Film 'Living under the flightpath' filmed around Glasgow airport



PlaneSpeaking supports people directly affected by the social impacts of climate change, the disproportionate injustice on specific demographics of society by environmentally and socially damaging industries. PlaneSpeaking specifically empowers those living by airports as aviation is the fastest growing cause of C02 emissions whilst simultaneously pummelling people already living in areas of multiple deprivation. Excessive levels of local air and noise pollution threaten local peoples quality of life, local environment and threaten to damage the fabric of communities. The aim is to give communities a voice, building strength and empowering local people to have a say in their environment whilst educating others and building a movement.

Too often when these industries are planned and built economically marginalised peoples are left numb and completely ignored, or worse, given token gestures when a 'democracy' should encourage genuine involvement in the planning process. Inspired by 'problem-posing' approaches, 'Planespeaking; participants consider a common problem and find solutions rather than traditional top-down approaches. These popular education techniques enable the strengthening of sklls, building on people's anger, experience and lived reality. PlaneSpeaking also impacts emotionally, providing a space for people who feel isolated and disempowered because of their treatment by the aviation industry.

“Here was someone saying that my feelings were a sane reaction to an insane situation. Finding that I was'nt on my own and others too had been lied to by BAA noise hotline, being told they were the 'loner moners' too'. It was important and useful to understand this loneliness fully and now understand that it would not break me." Jane, participant at Clydebank