The MHCCA April Newsletter Republished with permission from the Mental Health and Climate Change Alliance. Visit their website to sign up for their newsletter.
Looking to get involved? Check out some of these opportunities, movements, or organizations below.
Virtual Climate Café & Training
Join us for a special Climate Café & Facilitator Training on April 16, 2025, co-hosted by the Mental Health and Climate Change Alliance (MHCCA), the Climate Wellness Network (CWN), and The Sustainable Act. This free, virtual event is designed to help you process climate emotions, build facilitation skills, and connect with a growing community of care.
Whether you’re a climate organizer, educator, mental health worker, or someone passionate about holding space for others, this training will empower you to contribute to a more emotionally resilient and just climate future.
Date: April 16, 2025
Time: 3-6pm PST
Location: Online (Zoom)
Cost: Free
Click here for more information and to register for this training.
Exploring Climate Emotions, Values & Conversations
MHCCA is launching a new blog to create space for deeper dialogue around climate, connection, and communication. This blog will spotlight reflections, research, and real-world tools that help us navigate emotional complexity and foster resilience in the face of the climate crisis. We’re kicking things off with a powerful piece by Dr. Kiffer G. Card:
“Why We Disagree on Climate – and How to Bridge the Divide”
Using insights from Moral Foundations Theory and System Justification Theory, this post unpacks the psychology behind climate polarization – and offers concrete strategies for understanding others, reframing climate conversations, and building connection across difference. Whether you’re facing tough climate talks at home, in your community, or in your work, this is a must-read.
Creative Acts for Climate Feelings – Free Art Activity Booklet
Developed by the Black Dog Institute and ecological emotions researchers, this beautifully designed booklet helps children (and the adults who support them) explore climate-related emotions through art and play. Perfect for primary school educators, parents, or community programs, it emphasizes that all feelings are valid, and that creative expression is a powerful path to resilience.
Click here to download the activity booklet.
Navigating Climate Emotions: A Toolkit for Middle School Educators
Developed by the Climate Mental Health Network and NEEF, this free, evidence-based toolkit supports middle school teachers in addressing students’ emotional responses to climate change. With background info, activities, and mental health strategies, it helps educators foster resilience and emotional well-being in the classroom.
Click here to access the Toolkit.
South and Southeast Asia Climate and Health Responders Course – Free Online Course
This free, expert-led course equips health professionals, students, and climate advocates in South and Southeast Asia with the tools to respond to the health impacts of climate change. With region-specific insights and practical strategies, the course features a dedicated session on the intersection of climate change and mental health, highlighting the urgent need for emotional resilience and community care in the face of climate disruption.
Click here for more information and to sign up for the course.
Our Reads and Listens
Explore what our team has been reading and listening to this month.
Decolonizing Trauma Work: Indigenous Stories and Strategies
Quirks and Quarks with Bob McDonald (podcast)
Practicing Rest, Recovery, Resistance: An Interactive Dreaming Journal
Upcoming Hybrid Climate Emotion Circles with Cascadia Stack
Join a series of free, hybrid (in-person + virtual) Climate Emotion Circles across the Pacific Northwest, hosted by Cascadia Stack. These gatherings offer space to process climate emotions, build community, and foster resilience through storytelling and shared reflection.
Creating Climate Resilience: Spring Artmaking Workshops for Youth
Worried about how the climate crisis may shape your future? Join this free, in-person artmaking and dialogue series at the University of Victoria, led by climate justice advocate and artist Sabrina Guzman Skotnitsky. Through shared meals, safe-space dialogue, and expressive visual arts (no experience needed!), this series helps young people explore climate emotions, process anxiety, and build collective resilience.
Location: Multifaith Centre, University of Victoria
Cost: Free – meals provided and all materials included
Click here for more information and to register for a workshop.
See what else we have in GTEC’s Communication & Media (formally GTEC Blog)! Read articles on climate change, sustainability, education, and more!