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!
Dear Community,
After almost eight years of fully dedicated work with Be The Change and two and a half years as its Executive Director, I have decided that it’s time to change the role I play within the organization. As of February 28, 2019, I will be stepping down as Executive Director and into a collaborator and consultant role (you may just see me on Be The Change’s Board of Directors in the coming years and for sure at celebrations for donors and staff/volunteers).
I am incredibly grateful for the depth and breadth of the impactful work I have been able to be a part of and lead through this incredible organization. Top highlights have been: co-developing and augmenting our extensive SLS: Student Leadership in Sustainability educational resource; co-developing and leading three hands-on student leadership programs on waste reduction and climate action that we delivered in classrooms, clubs, and education networks across Metro-Vancouver; and being able to reach thousands of students and hundreds of teachers by facilitating various workshops and assembly presentations.
Most of all, I value the people and relationships built. The mission and approach of Be The Change has attracted the most amazing people that I have had the privilege to work and collaborate with over the years. I am truly excited to support this new chapter for Be The Change, as fresh energy infuses the way we do things and creates new opportunities.
That said, we are looking for a new, inspiring, multi-faceted Executive Director for the organization to lead us forward in innovative ways. Do you know anyone that would excel in this capacity and be able to support Be The Change’s approaches and educational assets?
We are looking for someone that:
You can learn more about the position and start an application here. Thank you for scanning your networks and forwarding this on to anyone that you think would shine in this role for Be The Change.
Again, I want to reiterate how grateful I am for the opportunity to work with such an amazing organization doing what I feel is deeply meaningful work. Thank you for any role you have played in the time that I’ve served the organization and please stay in touch.
In gratitude and looking forward with optimism,
Erin
Erin Leckie - Executive Director
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!
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:
Hello,
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.