Contemplative Climate Leadership for Youth Online Course

Sustaining Loving Action Amidst Global Crisis

A Contemplative 6-week Course

How do we face the enormity of climate disaster and ecological collapse with honesty, courage and a loving heart?

Our world is in crisis. When we look in the face of runaway climate change, ecosystem collapse, and the many interconnected injustices, we might feel overwhelmed, alone, afraid, or even numb. In this 6-week community of practice, we come together to feel the truth of what’s happening in our world, share in embodied mindfulness and earth connection practices to ground us, and support each other to take compassionate action.

We’ll use the framework of earth activist and Buddhist teacher Joanna Macy’s “The Work That Reconnects” to explore how to honor our pain for our world while still cultivating gratitude, connection, joy, and love to sustain us in taking whatever action is ours to take toward a life sustaining society.

Through experiential, contemplative and relational practices we’ll learn from each other and create a space of mutual exploration and support. In community, we’ll compost our pain for the world and transform it into fuel for loving action toward our vision of the world our hearts know is possible.

“How can we wrap our minds and hearts around something so vast as the destruction of the ecosystems on which humans and most species depend for life and — instead of going mad or numb — grow interested? How do we slow down enough to take effective action before it’s too late? I believe contemplative practice has a central role to play.

Our environmental crisis is the ultimate opportunity to realize our interdependence and act accordingly with compassion and wisdom. To confront the climate crisis, a critical mass of us must decide to trust and depend on each other. We must not only recognize but also act on our belonging to each other and the earth.” —Jessica Morey