Climate change is contributing to a growing youth mental health crisis known as eco-anxiety. Gratitude and imagination are powerful tools that help young people avoid doom and approach climate challenges with hope. ReconnectING: Imagination, Nature, and Gratitude is a two hour outdoor workshop designed to help students reconnect with nature and to equip them with an understanding of gratitude and imagination as tools for restoration and resistance.
The goal of this workshop is to provide intentional space for participants to cultivate joy, gratitude, and positive imagination about the natural world. Many youth, particularly those living in urban environments, can feel disconnected from the land. This workshop supports students in rebuilding that connection by slowing down and being present outdoors. By cultivating gratitude and imagination, youth can actively begin envisioning and building the world they want to live in.
Workshop Content
Students will:
- Read and reflect on excerpts from Indigenous stories about connecting to nature. Critically examine their own beliefs.
- Explore and connect with a local greenspace and ecosystem features in a new and meaningful way.
- Imagine a sustainable and just future through a creative, guided art activity
- Overall practice mindfulness, presence, and connection to the land.
Workshops can take place in an outdoor space of your choosing in the Metro Vancouver region. The recommended length of this workshop is 120 minutes. The workshop is available for all grades, but please reach out if you would like to request any specific adaptations or course connections to science curriculum.
Facilitators will meet your group at the chosen location and we will provide all necessary resources. This is an outdoor workshop. Please ensure that all students are prepared for the weather.
Please let us know if you have any accessibility requests, and we will do our best to accommodate all learners. Potential accommodations could include: Adjusting activities for students with limited mobility, preparing a list of key terms in advance for ELL students or those who need more time to process, and more.
