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.
Summary of the Action Pack
This Action Pack explores the process of connecting with others through empathy and active 
listening. Through the research questions and reference links, students will learn how social networks influence people’s lives and how empathy shapes human cultures. The Action Pack discusses techniques for building positive relationships with others from different cultures and the importance of networks and mutual understanding when different groups converge to accomplish a common goal. For example, students can take on actions such as joining a student social club or association that encourages active communication and open discussion, or talk to their family about creating time and space in the house where they do not use technology and instead engage in meaningful conversations. Lastly, this “Me and You” Action Pack encourages students to explore and rank their personal values as a means of learning about themselves. Through this Action Pack, students will develop a sense of understanding of how empathy translates to all aspects of life, particularly in building positive relationships with others.
My Reflection
After finishing this Action Pack, I talked to my family about creating a time and space where we did not use technology. At first they thought it was a good idea and agreed, but shortly after, life continued as it did before and we failed to adopt this behaviour change. I think this was the case because it is difficult to change all of our lifestyles. My parents work during the day, and like to relax in the evenings by watching TV or by using their smartphones. It is difficult to change the habits of others who are comfortable with their current lifestyles. Another action I adopted was running. This was easy for me because I used to run quite often, but due to school, I had to drop the habit. It was refreshing to drop everything on my busy schedule and go for a run, it pushed me to reflect on my day, while keeping me physically active. This Action Pack led me to change my daily routines and question what influenced our daily behaviours.
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.
