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!
Be the Change’s Youth Blog Series highlights blogs written by university student interns at Be the Change Earth Alliance. In the blogs, the interns reflect on their experience completing “Action Packs,” which are learning resources that guide students in research, critical thinking and tangible action related to a global sustainability topic.
Action Pack Summary
The Community Building Action Pack explores how community connections can lead to greater sustainability, encouraging the sharing of not only things, but experiences, with neighbors and beyond.
In a world where individuals have friends halfway across the world, but barely speak to those who are near, this Action Pack can reinvigorate belief in the importance of cultivating relationships with those living right next to them, contributing to:
- Vibrant local economies
- Increased safety and well-being
- Reduced ecological destruction with sharing rather than doubling-up of resources
In this Action Pack, student will be exposed to the benefits of strong, resilient communities, Transition Towns, collective houses, as well as how they can personally contribute to healthier neighborhoods. These contributions include taking actions in the Action Pack, such as having conversations with neighbors, shopping at a local businesses, or hosting community get-togethers with family.
By critically examining the costs and benefits of taking more time connecting and sharing with neighbors, students will reflect on the barriers they face in cultivating community and explore how they can mindfully engage with their neighbors, helping to build a more sustainable future.
My Reflection
I was planning to explore a natural sanctuary, but I was unable to make time to do so. I was disappointed that I was unable to carve out time for myself to be in nature. I was writing my final paper for a course, I know it was not productive to constantly sit at a computer- I just found it hard to get away. I’m learning that “when I don’t have time” are the moments I need to be out in nature the most. I realized how separated we are individually in Vancouver, I have heard that it is hard to make friends in this city, but never realized how isolated we are. I asked my friends if they talk to their neighbours on a regular basis, a few of them told me that they rarely conversed with them and wouldn't consider their relationship with their neighbours as “friendly”. Perhaps everyone is too busy with their own lives to create relationships. This Action Pack was great for me to reflect on the importance of the people and things around me. It was comforting to know that I have connections to other people and the community around me.
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.
