Nurturing Our Roots of Resilience, Through Nature, Story and Community
An online workshop hosted by The Lissome and CHANGE Festival

Amid the turbulence of recent years – from climate disasters to a global pandemic, political division and wars – many of us find ourselves exhausted, unsettled and weighed down by a sense of powerlessness. Resilience is often imagined as strength in the face of crisis. But as the article In Our Own Words (published in our current issue, The Lissome No. 5) and the film Climate Criminals? reveal, resilience also comes from vulnerability: from naming our fears, telling our stories, and being held in community.

The article and film document a creative residential at a farm in rural England, where climate activists – some awaiting prison sentences – gathered with storytellers and coaches to share their truths. They spoke of despair and exhaustion, but also of joy, solidarity and belonging. Against a backdrop of global conflict, climate disasters and political division, they built what Martin Luther King once called a “beloved community”: a place of honesty, hope and renewal.

Guided by this story, we will gather online for breathwork, journaling and group reflection to explore three pathways of resilience:

    •    nature as a grounding source of renewal

    •    story as a vessel for truth and perspective

    •    community as a foundation of belonging and care

Participants will leave with three personal commitments to nurture their own roots of resilience.

This is a space to listen deeply, reflect honestly and connect meaningfully with ourselves, with each other and with the wider web of life.