What is a Climate Café?

A climate café listening circle is a welcoming space where fears and uncertainties about our climate and ecological crises can be safely expressed.  Together we create a container that is strong enough to allow exploration of complex feelings and thoughts that are often taboo and hard to talk about.

We use the word ‘café’ to evoke the friendliness and warmth that happens when we gather to share food and drink.

With sturdy enough support structures in place, most people can sustain challenging feelings without dissociating, numbing or going into blind panic. We can engage with difficult truths while staying connected and grounded. 

Space will be held by two experienced facilitators (trained through the Climate Psychology Alliance) for up to 12 People’s people.  In this friendly and supportive setting, we will:

• focus on feelings rather than action
• temporarily set aside issues of climate policy, science or action
• refrain from advice-giving

Facilitators:

Kennedy Williams is a 2022 graduate of the Environmental Sciences program at WMU.  She leads the Air Quality Monitoring project for the Institute of Public Scholarship.

Donna McClurkan joined People’s Church in 2017.  She is never not thinking about climate change.

Kennedy and Donna volunteer with the Michigan Climate Action Network (MiCAN) to offer quarterly Climate Cafés throughout the state, virtually and in-person.

Logistics:

• The Climate Cafe will be held Sunday, November 3, 2024 at People’s Church in Room 19 from 12:30 – 2:00 p.m. 
• Registration is required via https://www.signupgenius.com/go/508054BA9AC22A13-51807655-climate#/ by noon on November 1, 2024.
• Registered attendees will be contacted by email or text the evening of November 1 with a reminder and a few additional details.
• If you are unable to attend on November 3 but have interest in attending a future café, indicate your interest and you will be notified when the next one is scheduled.

Questions?  Contact:  dcmcclurkan@gmail.com or 269-779-6260.