How do I select content?

As you refine the structure of your climate resilience group and plan each session’s flow, one important question is which themes and topics to explore. Earlier modules covered why to host a group, how to set goals, and practical considerations like venue and promotion. Now we turn to curating content that will resonate with participants, balancing immediate local concerns with broader global contexts. This module offers guidelines on identifying issues that are both relevant and engaging for your community. As earlier modules note, groups vary in emphasis: some centre on reflection and emotional processing, others on skill-building, action, or information, and many blend these. Choosing content that matches your group’s intention will make these decisions easier.

Understanding the Participants and Their Context

Before finalizing topics, it’s helpful to consider the backgrounds, knowledge levels, and primary concerns of those you expect to attend. If your group intends to have informational dialogues and draws a crowd with a wide range of climate knowledge, you might want to start with foundational climate ideas (e.g. renewable energy basics, definitions of climate justice) before diving deeper into areas like climate policy or green technology. Where possible, gather preliminary feedback (e.g. through registration forms) or conduct quick conversations to see which local or global issues potential participants care about most. This approach ensures your sessions speak directly to their interests and experiences. Remember that regardless of background or prior knowledge, everyone can have climate-related feelings, connections, and experiences! Starting with general discussion and making space to learn from the people in the room can be a great place to start. Even if your group is newer to this topic, everyone has their own insights and something important to contribute.

• How do impacts on human communities and questions of climate or environmental justice shape my concerns?

Balancing Local and Global Issues

A fruitful way to ground conversations is by examining climate impacts or sustainability efforts right in your own backyard. If your region faces flooding, extreme heat, or water scarcity, participants will likely find these issues personally meaningful. Once you establish a local anchor, connect it to broader trends like rising sea levels or drought patterns worldwide. This also applies to climate actions and potential solutions — it can be meaningful and more tangible to see what is taking place in your local area (e.g. community gardens, carpooling initiatives) while connecting this with broader initiatives for community, regional, national, and international climate action. The aim is to help the group see how local measures, such as tree planting or updated building codes, tie into larger climate solutions, bridging the gap between the immediate environment and the global ecosystem.

Learning from Indigenous Elders and Cultures

In addressing climate change, learning from Indigenous elders and cultures is invaluable. Indigenous communities hold a deep understanding of environmental stewardship, grounded in centuries of living in harmony with nature. Climate change has direct ties with colonialism, and standing in solidarity and addressing these colonial roots can be an important part of climate action. Indigenous Peoples are also long-standing leaders in climate justice. Their perspectives and knowledge can offer profound insights into sustainable living and climate resilience. Many practices found in climate resilience spaces, including circle sharing, collective grieving, and some mindfulness and breathwork traditions, also have roots in Indigenous and other long-standing cultural practices; acknowledging these roots is part of respectful facilitation.

Engaging with First Nations Communities

• Respectful Engagement: Approach First Nations communities with respect and a genuine desire to learn. Acknowledge their history, culture, and experiences.
• Building Relationships: Establishing a relationship based on trust and mutual respect is crucial. This involves listening, learning, and valuing Indigenous knowledge and practices. Ensuring you are not demanding additional education or work from Indigenous collaborators and taking time to learn what you can in your own time (e.g. by reading and listening to works by Indigenous authors, scholars, and leaders) can be an important part of this as well.
• Seeking Permission: Always seek permission and guidance from First Nations communities before incorporating their knowledge or practices into your Climate group.

How to Contact First Nations in British Columbia

• BC First Nations: Contact the local First Nations bands or councils in your area. Each Nation has its own protocol for engagement, which should be respected.
• Native Friendship Centres: The British Columbia Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres (BCAAFC) can be a point of contact. They can guide you in connecting with local First Nations communities and elders.
• Cultural Centers and Museums: Visit local Indigenous cultural centers or museums to learn and inquire about opportunities for engagement and learning.

Resources in BC to Learn More About Indigenous Peoples (First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Peoples)

• First Nations Education Steering Committee (FNESC): Provides educational resources and information on First Nations history, culture, and perspectives.
• Indigenous Tourism BC: Offers insights into local First Nations cultures and may provide contacts for educational experiences.
• Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC): A First Nations organization composed of representatives from different Indigenous communities with resources for understanding the political and social landscapes of First Nations in BC, which can provide context for environmental stewardship and climate issues.
• Métis Nation BC: An organization serving Métis individuals and chartered communities in BC, with additional resources on climate action and history.
• Local Indigenous-led Environmental Organizations: Seek out organizations that focus on environmental issues from an Indigenous perspective.

Inclusion in Climate Groups

• Invite First Nations Speakers: Consider inviting First Nations elders or representatives to share their insights at your Climate group. If you are asking an Indigenous person to do work in this way, ensure you find ways to reciprocate for their time such as offering an honorarium.
• Incorporate Traditional Knowledge: With permission, include traditional Indigenous knowledge and practices in your discussions and activities, emphasizing respect for this wisdom.
• Continual Learning and Sharing: Encourage participants to engage in ongoing learning about First Nations perspectives on environmental issues. Reading a book by an Indigenous author, listening to a podcast, or watching a documentary together can be ways to connect with this learning further.

In conclusion, integrating First Nations wisdom into Climate Resilience Groups not only enriches the dialogue but also honours the profound connection that Indigenous peoples have with the land. It's a journey of continuous learning, respect, and collaboration, contributing to a more holistic and inclusive approach to climate action.

Structuring Themes for Depth and Variety

Rather than scattering topics randomly, you might frame each session under a broader theme, such as climate action, policy, climate justice, sustainable lifestyles, environmental art and communications, or emotional resilience. Each of these can then be broken down into more specific angles. Under “sustainable lifestyles,” for instance, you could explore everything from zero-waste grocery shopping to community composting initiatives. In a multi-session format, rotating through several major themes keeps discussions fresh and allows participants to gradually build on what they learned or felt in previous meetings.

Key Climate Change and Mental Health Concepts

Understanding climate emotions and climate mental health is crucial in addressing the psychological impacts of climate change. Below is a list of key concepts related to these topics and you can also learn more about these and other important ideas by visiting our Climate Emotions Course:

• Climate Anxiety: The emotional distress and anxiety experienced by individuals due to the perceived or actual impacts of climate change. It may result from concerns about environmental degradation, extreme weather events, climate experiences, human costs of climate change, or a perceived lack of action to mitigate climate change.
• Climate Grief: The emotional response to the losses associated with climate change, including people, places, natural environments, species, cultures, future possibilities, and ecosystems. Climate grief can be experienced by a wide range of individuals, including those who mourn the changes they see in their environment.
• Solastalgia: A term coined to describe the distress experienced when one's home or familiar environment is impacted by environmental changes, such as climate-related events. It reflects a sense of loss and disconnection from a changing landscape and has been described by some as feeling homesick while at home.
• Climate Hope: Climate hope refers to the optimistic and positive outlook that individuals and communities can have in the face of the challenges posed by climate change. It represents the belief that, through collective action, innovation, and determination, we can mitigate the impacts of climate change, transition to a sustainable future, and protect the planet for current and future generations. It is often linked to a sense of possibility and can include collective action toward those possibilities. There are many understandings of and approaches to climate hope, including active hope (Joanna Macy and Chris Johnstone) and messy hope (Meghan Wise), and we encourage you to explore this further if it’s of interest!
• Resilience: The ability to adapt and bounce back from the emotional and psychological impacts of climate change. It can also refer to the capacity of communities and ecosystems to withstand climate-related stresses, recover from disasters, and shift towards more just, sustainable ways of being so they can emerge stronger, more adaptable, and better prepared for the future. Resilience-building strategies help individuals and communities cope with climate-related stressors and uncertainty.
• Psychological Distance: The concept that the perceived proximity of climate change impacts can influence emotions and actions. People may feel more emotionally connected and concerned about climate change when they perceive it as personally relevant and nearby.
• Climate Communication: Strategies for effectively communicating climate change information and risks while considering the emotional responses of the audience. It aims to engage and motivate individuals to take climate action without inducing excessive fear or despair.
• Eco-therapy: A therapeutic approach that incorporates nature and the outdoors as a means of improving mental health and well-being. Eco-therapy can help individuals cope with climate-related stressors by fostering a deeper connection to the natural world.
• Climate Coping Strategies: Techniques and practices that individuals use to manage their emotional responses to climate change. These may include seeking support from others, engaging in climate action, or practicing mindfulness.
• Climate Justice: An approach to climate change that addresses equity and justice, climate justice recognizes that the impacts of climate change are not experienced equally and disproportionately affect vulnerable and marginalized communities. Recognizing and addressing climate injustice can have a positive impact on mental health by promoting a sense of fairness and equity and addressing the systems and structures that perpetuate inequities, harm, and barriers to collective well-being.
• Environmental Empowerment: The belief that individuals and communities can make a positive difference in addressing climate change. Feeling empowered to take action can enhance mental well-being and reduce feelings of hopelessness.
• Climate Action Efficacy: The belief that one's actions and efforts to mitigate climate change will lead to meaningful change. A sense of efficacy can contribute to a more positive emotional response to climate issues.

Keeping Discussions Engaging and Diverse

When participants sense that discussions only skim the surface, they may lose interest. Creating a space for meaningful connection and, if you are providing information, offering a blend of recent developments in climate science, local success stories, and ethical considerations, can help to keep the conversation lively. Some groups benefit from occasional guest speakers, local environmental activists, scientists, or public officials, who can provide firsthand expertise. Others incorporate short case studies that show how towns or cities elsewhere have tackled similar challenges. Mixing practical examples and conceptual discussions invites participants to see these issues from multiple angles, fostering empathy and curiosity.

Preparing Participants for the Conversation

To encourage depth, consider sharing background materials a few days before each gathering. These might include short articles, videos, a podcast, or infographics that outline the session’s focus. For those new to climate discussions, an introductory reading can lower anxiety about not knowing enough. If your group size permits, you can also solicit topic suggestions from attendees. This strategy not only helps shape discussions around their personal concerns but also empowers them to feel more invested in the group’s direction.

• Fiction and creative works can also spark reflection and make a rich basis for climate-themed book clubs, for example N.K. Jemisin’s Broken Earth trilogy, Becky Chambers’s Monk and Robot duology, and Alexis Pauline Gumbs’s Undrowned: Black Feminist Lessons from Marine Mammals. For books focused on climate emotions, see Britt Wray’s Generation Dread and Sarah Jaquette Ray’s A Field Guide to Climate Anxiety.

• Indigenous Climate Action (indigenousclimateaction.com) – An Indigenous-led climate justice organization with publications and resources.
• Métis Nation British Columbia (mnbc.ca) – Includes Métis-led climate action planning and resources.

Bringing It All Together

Choosing topics that hit the sweet spot between local relevance and global awareness lays a solid foundation for meaningful dialogue. Participants are more likely to stay engaged when they can see how these discussions connect to their own lives, yet also broaden their understanding of the bigger picture. Whether your group delves into policy proposals, explores emotional coping strategies, or brainstorms community sustainability projects, aligning themes with real-world challenges and participant interests is key. Over time, these thoughtfully chosen topics can galvanize a sense of shared purpose, making the climate resilience group a place of both learning and collective empowerment.