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Phase: Ideas Opportunity Areas: Idea Starter #3: Community

Real Community

To imagine, plan and achieve together within our communities to address the climate crisis facing our planet

Photo of Lisa Candels
4 0

Written by

I am a.....

  • Parent/Caregiver
  • home visiting program supervisor working with pregnant women, their families and children to age 6

Tell us about your idea

We have stopped so much to care for ourselves, those we love and people we don't even know because of the virus. The pandemic has given us time together with those we normally pass- in our own homes- parents, siblings, grandparents, extended family members as we go on making our lives. Let us stop again- using Fridays to focus on the climate crisis with our families and include community members: elders, artists, engineers, mothers/fathers/other caregivers, manual laborers, professionals, essential workers, legislators- everyone since everyone has a part. To imagine, plan and achieve a better future starting with big dreams and small steps at first, immediate to long-term changes. Taking the real learning from our interactions with the earth and each other, from science and citizen science to change the impact we have from a negative to a positive one. Schools can be the convening places, welcoming all who want to work toward a more healthy human impact.

What part(s) of the pre-COVID school system do you wish to leave in the past? Why?

The parts that exclude the valuable input and insight of working people, elders, and young children. The parts that make some students feel less than and some people out of school as if they are not also students and teachers of life. The parts that don't acknowledge that we are all one and part of one planet and have something important to contribute. I wish to leave those parts in the past since they tear us down and perpetuate negativity and isolation when we need positivity and connection.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and what inspired you to share this idea.

I am a mother and grandmother and this time has been valuable to realize what is important and that we can come together when we must to accomplish amazing results.

What region are you located in?

  • North America

Where are you located?

in a beautiful forested river valley preserved by people long before me with insight and wisdom

4 comments

Join the conversation:

Comment
Spam
Photo of Peter Worth
Team

Hi Lisa, I'm Peter, a community coach for this challenge. Thank you for sharing this idea. I agree about the importance of hearing and learning from the many voices and generations across communities to work on addressing the climate crisis. If you have time, I would be interested in seeing how you would develop out the focus Friday idea. What might happen on these days? How might the various community members work together? Thank you!

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Spam
Photo of Lisa Candels
Team

Hi Peter, First I think it would be an invitation from towns/city districts - or if there is no leadership there, from individuals or groups, especially seniors since they have time, knowledge, experience- to begin the conversation and to start to envision how it might work for each individual school area. Schools are not often seen as a resource for the entire community- but the entire community pays for them- and it might be an excellent way to connect parts of a community that do not usually connect. Then when groups first come together, I think it would be important to think about who might still be missing and how to possibly include them or invite a representative. The rules of engagement would be determined by the groups though I like consensus for determining action steps. But I think really truly deeply listening to what brought people together for this issue is important as a first long step. Perhaps there can be local experts or people who have thought and acted more on this issue who might be invited but I think it's critical that people are comfortable and know they are experts on their own lives and limits. These are my first thoughts.

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Photo of Lisa Candels
Team

I was thinking to invite a multi-age group to the elementary school gym- though the playing fields could be interesting but maybe hard for half-deaf. The idea of a "pre-soak": asking questions of various groups, i.e., parents, seniors, town employees, other town residents through the town email/facebook, churchgoers, bar/restaurant patrons might also be good to get the conversation going and then meet with those most interested to continue the conversation. Perhaps some kind of safe potluck would be good.

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Spam
Photo of Peter Worth
Team

Lisa, thanks for your replies. It's great to see this being fleshed out. I agree that school buildings can be an untapped community resource. I appreciate your focus on deep, intentional listening across community members. This makes me think that as you develop the rules of engagement, you may want to consider the traditional roles of each of those in attendance, and how those roles might need to shift on Focus Fridays. For example, how might someone whose day-to-day work involves talking and being listened to, or "being in charge" shift and really listen? And what supports might others need to feel comfortable sharing their voices? There are a lot of exciting things to prototype here!

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