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 Nature Nurture Action Pack explores our personal connection to the natural world, which is essential for creating true local and global sustainability.
Starting with James Lovelock’s Gaia Hypothesis, students are exposed to a worldview where the earth is seen as an interconnected living entity that we are merely participants in, not rulers over.
This distinction can be understood as the difference between shallow and deep ecology.
The former views nature as important, but not equal in value to human beings and communities.
The latter echoes the notion that humans are not central or superior in the earth’s ecosystem, and that other beings, too, have critical value and worth.
After completing actions within Nature Nurture, such as spending quiet time in natural space or going on regular walks with family, students will experience a core concept in the Action Pack: biophilia, meaning love of nature and life. Students will tap into their innate connection with the rest of life that makes time in nature so enjoyable. In this process, students can grow in their understanding of nature as beyond a repository of resources to a place for healing and growth, experiencing the benefits of ecotherapy.
My Reflections
I chose to spend time in quiet contemplation as one of my actions. I went outside the office and spent 20 minutes in quiet contemplation in nature. I say about myself, and it’s been said about me, that I am uncomfortable with silence and stillness...but this experience demonstrated that, if mindfully undertaken, I don’t need constant extra stimulation to thrive- nature provides enough. I’m hesitant to talk to my family about the benefits of nature, because I acknowledge that not everyone has time in their schedule to spend time out in nature, especially because my family members are so busy with their lives. . I need to prioritize maintaining and deepening the connection I have with my family, as though the deepest love and support I have ever experienced, that is it transient.
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.
