Episode 8.
From Despair to Action: Cultivating Hope in Times of Change
It can be tough staying positive and resolute in the face of increasingly severe climate impacts and political inertia. Join us for the final 2040 Conversation to learn how to process the grief, rage and sadness that accompanies climate action and to build resilience and cultivate hope as things continue to change around us.
About the Host
The host for the conversation series is Dr Amanda Cahill, CEO of The Next Economy. Amanda has spent nearly 25 years supporting changemakers across the world to improve individual and community wellbeing. Her work at The Next Economy is to support communities to strengthen local economies in ways that are good for people and planet. In this way, her work touches on many of the themes in 2040 – climate change, food and energy systems, waste, and how the economic and political systems operate to both facilitate and block change.
Guests
Bronwyn Gresham
Bronwyn Gresham is a clinical psychologist and mindfulness practitioner, with a special interest in skills development, self and collective care and community resilience. She is a volunteer board member with Psychology for a Safe Climate (PSC), a Melbourne based not-for-profit, who recognise that sustaining strong and urgent action on our climate emergency requires fostering psychological and emotional skills.
Bronwyn has completed teachers training in Mindful Self Compassion, and the Al Gore Climate Reality Leadership Program. She brings over 12 years of therapeutic experience in the community mental health sector, and currently works in the university sector as a senior advisor with Mental Wellbeing Initiatives. More recently she has joined a podcast group, the Climactic Collective. In this, she is enjoying slowly learning the fine art of podcasting and sharing stories that give voice to the emotional side of engaging with the climate emergency.
Books Referenced
Transformational Resilience: How building human resilience to climate disruption can safeguard society and increase wellbeing by Bob Doppelt – http://www.theresourceinnovationgroup.org/bob-doppelt/
-
-
- Uses the resilient GROWTH model
-
Earth Emotions: New Words for a New World by Glenn Albrecht – https://glennaalbrecht.com/2019/02/04/earth-emotions/
Active Hope: How to Face the Mess We’re in without Going Crazy by Joanna Macey & Chris Johnstone – https://www.activehope.info/index.html
-
-
- Joanna Macey also has other books available at https://www.joannamacy.net/main
-
Hope in the Dark: Untold Histories, Wild Possibilities by Rebecca Solnit – http://rebeccasolnit.net/book/hope-in-the-dark-untold-histories-wild-possibilities/
Groups/Orgs that run Useful Workshops
Psychology for a Safe Climate: https://www.psychologyforasafeclimate.org
Work that Reconnects Network (they run Joanna Macy workshops in Australia): https://workthatreconnects.org
Emma Brindal runs workshops for activists on healing and connecting with Nature https://wiseeartheducation.com:
Plan to Thrive (Australian Support Network for people working for social and ecological justice): https://plantothrive.net.au
Claire Dunne – Nature Workshops on Re-Wilding: https://www.naturesapprentice.com.au
Australian Parents for Climate Action: https://www.ap4ca.org
Common Cause: On working with Values and Framing of Issues http://www.commoncause.com.au/workshops.html
Other resources
Australian Psychological Society
-
-
- Guides for Parents about the Climate Crisis: https://www.psychology.org.au/getmedia/f7d0974d-4424-4d60-a7eb-cfa0431b6860/Parents-guide-climate-crisis.pdf
- https://www.psychology.org.au/getmedia/e8cda6ca-ecfe-42c7-8538-492950bac8ba/Raising-children-climate.pdf
- https://www.psychology.org.au/for-the-public/Psychology-topics/Climate-change-psychology
-
Other resources for Parents & Grandparents
Article on eco grief (and really cool website): https://www.climateandmind.org/what-is-climate-grief
5 Ways to Wellbeing: https://5waystowellbeing.org.au