Let’s get straight to the point.
I spend my life talking about data.
Data that tells us the world is in a pickle, from the Climate Emergency, to inequality, and the Cost of Living Crisis, and we hope that data that will inspire and inform people to understand and to act.
But, data never motivated anybody to change.
In fact, data can often have the opposite effect; we can sometimes feel so overwhelmed by the data we don’t do anything at all.
However, when the data is shared through a story that can bring a whole new world of opportunities.
Telling the story can both contextualise the problem, and, really importantly, helps you FEEL something.
Our emotions are our superpowers.
Fear can inspire us to be more corageous, seeing somebody struggling can drive us to try and understand, and help – to be empathetic and compassionate.
Climate Anxiety is a problem affecting more and more people; especially young people.
There are myriad studies to explain the range of symptoms and solutions. This report from BBC Future is particularly helpful.
You may have heard about the wide rang of research and support offered by the Climate Psychology Alliance – absolutely worth a look.
Climate anxiety isn’t going away. It affects our young people, our employees, our friends and families.
Climate anxiety – like climate depression or climate rage – isn’t a pathology. It’s a reasonable and healthy response to an existential threat.
Caroline Hickman
Time to step up, speak out, feel something and act.
When you see somebody like Al Gore stand up and scream for action on the World Economic Forum stage, you know it’s serious.
People, especially young people, crave courageous leadership and positive, genuine action to address the Climate Emergency.
It’s their future.
I’d encourage you to listen
This is AmaSing
I probably should have offered this to you right at the beginning of this blog.
Just before Christmas last year, I was fortunate to see these children speak at a climate event at Storyhouse. Their innocence and their motivating and inspiring message just blew me away.
Please watch this video.
Fighting for a better future for young people is what keeps me awake at night, and makes me spring out of bed very early in the morning.
Everything we do at UK for Good is with the purpose of helping to shape a cleaner, greener, fairer future.
I was going to keep this next bit of news a surprise, but I just can’t keep it a secret any more:
On Thursday, to round up our presentations at The Business for Good Festival, we will be joined by some incredible young people from the arts for mental health charity AmaSing, who are going to share with us their thoughts on their future. As they tell us so clearly:
“The future starts today”
Please join us on Thursday 2nd February in Chester to learn how you too can shape a better world that our people and planet need and deserve.