We Can All Use a Little Hope

Participatory Art

Aug 29

It was an honor to unveil a new Climate Art and Action Project at the Festival of the Steh-Chass's youth camp yesterday. I worked with over 30 youth, discussing climate change, sea level rise, and the impacts they are already witnessing. And, of course, solutions. The smoke from western forest fires had only recently cleared and was fresh in their minds. It was easy to see that for many of them, climate change was all too real, and all too daunting. Yet they responded not just with worries and anxiety, which I imagine most of us have in the face of this looming threat, but with Hope.

The goal of this project is to have a place for people to share their thoughts and feelings around climate change. Sometimes, it all just feels so overwhelming that it's easier to simply not think about it and turn to other things. Basically, we ignore the issue. If we can name what it is that we're worried about, it can help us to move through that anxiety and into a new place where, maybe, just maybe, we are ready to take some action.

Whether we're already feeling the impacts of climate change or are just beginning to realize it's power, climate change will impact us all. And it will take all of us to prepare for, and create a world we can, and want to, live in. And that's the beautiful thing right there. This opportunity we have to guide the course of our future and leave behind our legacy.

Want to participate? Join the conversation at these two upcoming events:

The Festival of the Steh-Chass: Saturday, September 1st, 9AM - 7PM, Heritage Park, Olympia
City of Olympia's Sea Level Rise Walk: Saturday, September 8th, 11AM - 2PM, Percival Park, Olympia