EcologyShifts

EcologyShifts is a community-learning and change-making experience that focuses on personal growth, organizational and sector change toward a just and equitable environmental field. EcologyShifts is currently 10 months into its 18-month cycle. This brief is contributed by Sherri Mitchell, Host Circle member and lead curriculum designer.

The EcologyShifts Program has now completed the first of four training modules. This first module focused on establishing a foundational understanding of key change-making issues such as decolonizing the environmental field and outlining the pitfalls in the methodologies for establishing greater diversity, equity, and inclusion. We also collected information from cohort members that allowed us to refine the program to meet their needs.

In June we hosted Dr. Katharine Wilkinson who provided a half-day workshop for cohort members and a public talk. Dr. Wilkinson created space for feelings of overwhelm and grief that cohort members have been expressing throughout the program. She then helped participants connect with their sense of power and joy in the face of the great challenges before us.

In July, host team members met with cohort participants to check-in on their individual learning journeys and support their efforts to catalyze organizational change. Many expressed ongoing feelings of overwhelm and the desire to engage in more collaboration between member organizations. Some felt a need to clarify their roles within their respective organizations and to gain a better understanding of their capacity to facilitate change. This is perfectly aligned with where the program goes next.

This fall we begin the second training module, which provides practical resources for understanding their positionality and capacity for facilitating organizational change. In this module, participants will work in collaborative teams to develop change strategies for their organizations, while deepening their understanding of the systems and structures in which they operate.