Cultivating Awareness and Resilience in Education (CARE) is a unique evidence-based program designed to help those working in educational settings ( e.g., PK-12, Higher Education, OST) reduce stress and enliven their work by promoting awareness, presence, compassion, reflection, and inspiration – the inner resources they need to help themselves and their students flourish, socially, emotionally, and academically.
In a recent podcast episode, Stephen Posner, Director of Pathways to Planetary Health at the Garrison Institute, joined a conversation with Michael Cox, Professor of Environmental Studies at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, USA, who studies and teaches about the commons – a broad concept that reflects a whole, integrated world and that refers to relationships among places, communities, resources,…
It’s no secret that non-profit leaders are stressed by the demanding responsibilities of their jobs. According to a study published in the Nonprofit Management & Leadership journal, major stressors include financial constraints, resource limitations, and the pressure to achieve ambitious goals while serving diverse stakeholders (Doherty, 2019). The emotional toll of working with vulnerable populations while attempting to address complex social issues creates an additional burden.
The Pathways to Planetary Health initiative partnered with See Change Sessions to introduce the power of applied contemplative practice to a new diverse audience at the February 2024 See Change flagship event in Vermont.
This partnership helped a community of change agents engage with contemplative practice to develop insight into inner change, embrace innovative social presencing practices, and build capacity for collaboration and compassion while addressing today’s pressing social and environmental issues.
We cannot solve complex sustainability issues using the approaches we’ve employed in the past. We need different approaches – and different mindsets – than those we’ve drawn on thus far.
These approaches and mindsets emerge from looking inward at the same time as we make outer change – from reflecting deeply on what’s here now as we grapple with complex and persistent predicaments like climate change and nature loss, social justice, trauma, and exploitative economic systems.
Jonathan F.P. Rose has been awarded Bhutan’s prestigious Druk Thuksey (“Order of the Beloved of the Thunder Dragon”) Medal, the highest honor the country can bestow upon non-Bhutanese. Jonathan is the Garrison Institute’s co-founder, President of Jonathan Rose Companies, a noted expert in sustainable development and regenerative communities, and Chair of Bhutan’s International Advisory Board for Urban Development.
One of the fundamental characteristics of living a more present, peaceful life is not being bombarded and distracted by thoughts. Thoughts are fueled by stimulation, daily noise, interactions, and entertainment, whether wanted or unwanted.
While we can take breaks by shutting off devices, soothing ourselves, and vacationing, we cannot vacation from our minds. When we return from our break, we find our mental state has not changed, and we long for more soothing, instead of feeling contentment.
If we are interested and motivated to develop a calm-abiding mind everywhere we go, we must give our mind a place of space to focus.
Dr. Sharon Blackie offers a multidisciplinary approach in exploring various myths to help us navigate our complex world. She emphasizes the power of storytelling and its transformative potential, highlighting the need for a reciprocal relationship with the environment. The journey of the mythological seal women depicts the quest for harmony that urges us to embrace the completeness within ourselves. Her teachings reveal the power of narratives to reflect our complexities and invite inner harmony. Dr. Blackie’s exploration compels us to acknowledge our yearning for balance while embracing all facets of our identities.