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!
Fall is here! Here are some updates from Be the Change as we enter a new season and school-year!
Environmental Education Panel
“Imagine a future where world leaders have grown up with a deep understanding of the natural environment that sustains us and knowledge that informs responsible decisions that advance our planetary health.”
On Tuesday Oct. 20th @ 11am, Be the Change’s Executive Director, George Radner will moderate a panel with experts at the UBC Faculty of Education exploring how environmental education can shift the imbalance between humanity and nature into a relationship of mutual prosperity. Don’t miss this engaging online panel discussion: Register now!
Launching the Community Health Unit!
Be the Change is excited to announce the launch of our Community Health Unit, the latest addition to our Student Leadership for Change (SLC) library of eco-social learning resources. This Unit is a package of learning resources focused on healthy individuals and communities that teachers can provide to students in their in-person or virtual classrooms. Topics or “Action Packs” included in the Unit are:
| Active Transportation | Climate Justice |
| Food Security | Fresh & Local |
| Healthy Cities Local | Local Economy |
| Nature Nurture | Poverty |
| Public Health | Who's In My 'Hood |
Introducing Be the Change’s new Program Assistant
We are happy to welcome Kadiatou Diallo to the Be the Change team. Over the coming months, Kadi will be focused on revising and augmenting our learning resources to increase their emphasis on racial justice and intersectionality.
About Kadi
Kadiatou Diallo is originally from Guinea, West Africa. 
She is fortunate to have lived in five countries and is fluent in French and Fulani. She has a BA in Political Science focusing on human rights, international relations, and political theory. She has experience in community-based research working with social and environmental justice organizations on Vancouver Island. Kadi’s work is published in the Review of European Transatlantic Affairs and In/Versions Journal for her policy recommendations and scholarship on the European Union immigration integration policy and environmental policies. Kadi is passionate about knowledge accessibility and advocating for marginalized communities. In her spare time, Kadi enjoys fragrances, attending to her flowers & plants, and essential oils.
That’s all for now! Be the Change is able to continue its work empowering students and youth through our kind donors. Please donate today!
Warmly,
George Radner
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.
