January Newsletter: Sharing Gratitude & Excitement for 2024!
Happy New Year! We hope you had a memorable holiday season and a positive start to 2024. At Be the Change, we are energized and excited for the year ahead!
You’ve heard from Simon, one of our many empowered students and from Fiona, one of our many inspired teachers. Today we’d like to take you backstage to hear about one of our amazing volunteers, environmental biologist Suzanne Barois.
Charitable endeavours like Be The Change Earth Alliance could never exist without the generous support of other concerned citizens like Suzanne (and you!) who share our passion for positive change. We welcome you to pledge support by joining our Community of Change.
Suzanne has been a steadfast BTCEA volunteer for over 8 years now. She joined the advisory Wisdom Circle after a synchronistic meeting with our co-founder and Creative Director Maureen Jack-LaCroix in a ferry line-up.
After a few days of discernment, Suzanne made a commitment to support the work of BTCEA and its approach to change through ‘education-in-action’. She aligned with their mandate to support environmental sustainability, spiritual fulfilment and social justice.
“My scientific mind has been wonderfully engaged in all the research for the educational materials, and my spiritual connection was met in our monthly Wisdom Circles. I might have returned to school but instead I learned by doing. Maureen constantly offered me opportunities that scared and excited me… she pushed me to the edge and bade me fly.”
From BTCEA’s beginnings in Maureen’s kitchen to assisting the move into their first office, Suzanne has done everything from co-creating action guides, pro-d facilitation, to leading citizen Action Circles and Symposia. Most recently, with her husband Philippe she is translating all the curriculum into French.
Now a core part of the BTCEA Board of Directors, Suzanne—like all the board members and staff— has reached out to her friends and community to help us bridge our current funding gap. When the prospects of carrying on seem daunting and the way forward unclear Suzanne urges us to share in her experience and to trust.
“Life is a process of unfolding to your potential and trusting that your experience regardless of how it looks is part of that process. Learn to let go of control, live with uncertainty and embrace life’s unknowns. “
We are so grateful to the many caring citizens who have supported this small but remarkably effective not-for-profit over the past ten years, and we are particularly blessed to have been adopted by Suzanne Barois!
Thank you for joining our Community for Change and supporting our mission. We are at $5,480 towards our goal of $25,000 by December 4th, and delighted to welcome 38 new friends. Hearing rumours of someone wanting to match the next $5000 – we will keep you posted! Thank you for pledging your contribution to keep this good work going into 2016!
Latest posts
December 2023 Newsletter - ⛄‘Tis the season to celebrate at Be The Change!⛄
As 2023 comes to a close and school winds down for winter break, we’re taking a moment to reflect back over the past year. 2023 was a very regenerative time for BTCEA! We developed and delivered our Climate Action, Resilience, and Emotions (CARE) program in communities on the frontlines of wildfires in our province. And as an organization, we prioritized creating space to discuss what decolonization could look like both internally, and in our programming. Here are the highlights:
Oct 2023 Newsletter - Check out our mid-October climate-justice resources!
Hello,
An introduction from Communications Coordinator, Lucy Wicken
Dear Be The Change community,
As we approach mid-October, I’m reflecting on the changing seasons, from the warm and active days of summer to the cooler and quieter days of autumn. Personally, I’ve noticed a desire to slow down, take on fewer responsibilities, and stay inside where it’s cozy. Have you felt this way too?
As 21st century humans living in a world that operates under capitalism, white supremacy, and other oppressive systems, we can be made to feel guilt or shame about listening & responding to our needs. We are expected to maintain the same energy and productivity levels throughout the year, no matter how cold or dark the days are, how heavy world events feel, or how much we’re struggling in our personal lives.
This is where the concept of regenerative education comes in. Introduced to the BTCEA team by former staff member Jake, regenerative education calls on us to slow down and turn inward to consider our connection with the natural world. It asks us to examine the living systems that are breaking down due to violent human activity (such as fossil fuel extraction, destruction of Indigenous lands, and human-caused flooding and wildfires) and connect this breakdown with our own high levels of stress.
