Solarpunk Generation

Solarpunk Generation promotes environmental awareness, education, and action through arts, storytelling, and holistic experiential learning. It focuses on creating resources, tools, and experiences to inspire and facilitate collective creativity. It is committed to elevating diverse voices, including those who are neurodivergent, and engaging multiple generations in building a more regenerative and inclusive society.

Solarpunk Generation offers a framework for climate and intergenerational environmental engagement that integrates elements of community psychology, social and environmental justice, positive psychology, social-emotional learning, and eco-psychology.

The mission is to promote ecological health and resilience by facilitating the psychological health and resilience of children, youth, families, and diverse communities.

Transcript

1. Solarpunk Generation Facilitating psychological resilience in vulnerable and diverse communities while promoting the regeneration of landscapes and the human spirit.
2. Content 1. Problem Statement 2. Solution 3. Mission and Vision 4. Project Scope 5. Needs
3. “Research is increasingly finding that climate denial’s apparent opposite, climate anxiety, is one of the major barriers to climate action. Indeed, what appears to be apathy can actually be feelings of grief and disempowerment that are too difficult to engage with, leading to denial as a mechanism for short-term emotional coping. We do not have the inter/personal competencies necessary for engaging with the intense combination of guilt and fear induced by this existential crisis” From Learning to Live with Climate Change: From Anxiety to Transformation, Blanche Verlie, 2022.
4. Problem Statement  A recent survey of 10,000 young people in 10 countries reports climate change causing widespread climate and eco-anxiety. Overall, 75% of young respondents said, “the future is frightening.”  Diversity in thinking and creativity are important for diverse climate solutions. A growing body of research highlights a strong correlation between neurodiversity and creativity. However, neurodiverse individuals have competing pressures that often prevent them from meeting basic and security needs, which might prevent them from engaging in regeneration and climate action.  Efforts for public adoption of climate and environmental engagement need to include training in explicit emotional intelligence tools to cope with compounding crises and build psychological resilience, especially for vulnerable populations like children, youth, and people with disabilities and neurodiversity.
5. We need a Strong Vision to Lead a Cultural Shift “As our world roils with calamity, we need solutions, not warnings. Solutions to live comfortably without fossil fuels, to equitably manage scarcity and share abundance, to be kinder to each other and to the planet we share. At once a vision of the future, a thoughtful provocation, and an achievable lifestyle.” ~Jay Springett
6. Disconnected Worlds  Vulnerable populations such as children, young people, and neurodiverse communities need exposure to climate/regeneration solutions, outlets to channel their eco-anxiety, and spaces to activate their creativity, so they can contribute their gifts to the climate/ReFi/ regeneration movements and gain a sense of purpose and active hope for the future.  There are incredible solutions, cutting-edge initiatives, and on-the-ground projects. Unfortunately, these underrepresented and vulnerable communities often don't have access to this information because they are too busy trying to survive in a system that drains their creative energy. How do we invite people of all ages and all backgrounds to engage in regeneration and climate action at the scale and speed that is required?
7. Solution: Framework for Intergenerational Environmental Engagement Solarpunk Generation proposes a framework for climate communication and environmental education grounded in eco-psychology, community psychology, positive psychology, social-emotional learning, and storytelling, which can spark inspiration, reduce climate change helplessness, and increase agency, resilience, and environmental engagement in people of all ages and backgrounds:  Solution-focused stories are more effective than catastrophic stories in motivating pro-environmental intentions (Baden, 2019).  Participants who read articles on climate change that framed individual actions as either effective or impactful, indeed believed their individual actions made more impact, whereas the opposite led to climate helplessness (Salomon, Preston, and Tannenbaum 2017).  Studies suggest that some activism is effective in building hope and in reducing anxiety and despair (Feldman and Hart, 2015).  Hope has been associated with cognitive flexibility and creativity (Rey, 2020).  Research shows that children can foster climate change concern among their parents (Lawson Et al., 2019).  Research shows that both adolescents and their parents influence each other’s pro-environmental intentions and behaviors, suggesting that not only parents but also adolescents, may be important agents of positive changes in families and society (Zukauskiene, et al., 2020).
8. Solarpunk Generation’s Framework for Intergenerational Environmental Engagement  Education, exposure, training, and mentoring would allow children, youth, and neurodiverse individuals to explore their interests within the climate, ReFi, and regeneration movements and connect their strengths to specific causes they care about.  Helping these vulnerable populations connect with mentors and resources to develop new ideas or join existing initiatives and community-based service projects focused on climate solutions/ReFi/regeneration is a powerful way to engage the adults in their lives.
9. Solarpunk Demands a nonhierarchical, diverse, decentralized, yet integrated world  Community-minded: common pool of resources, tool-shares, maker spaces, co-operatives  Existential threats are approached with adaptive ingenuity, creativity, and innovation  Practical, active engagement as opposed to wishful thinking  Long-term approach to design  Reuse and repurposing of resources  Self-sustaining, focused on ecological and human well being  Embraces technologies like rooftop solar, passive houses, modern sailing innovations, and more to allow the natural workings of the planet to flourish  En route to an egalitarian civilization in harmony with Earth and all living beings  Aligned with indigenous wisdom and sovereignty  Beautiful antidote to hopelessness and resignation
10. Mission 1. To promote ecological health and resilience by facilitating the psychological health and resilience of children, youth, families, and diverse communities. 2. To generate, amplify, and catalyze ideas and solutions that can nurture the healing of vulnerable communities and the planet and harness our collective intelligence to build a regenerative future for all generations. Vision: We envision a regenerative future built on a foundation of equal inclusion, empathy, and respect for ecological and human diversity regardless of age, race, gender, ethnicity, nationality, ability, sexual orientation, or neurodiversity where everyone has a unique role in promoting ecological and psychological well-being. Solarpunk Generation’s Mission and Vision
12. Project Scope  Grounded in a framework that borrows elements from Solarpunk, these projects are synergistic and amplify and support the development of each other.  Offers entry points for everyone to engage in climate action and regeneration regardless of age, background, culture, neurodiversity, etc.  Catalyzes innovation, collective intelligence, and regeneration (humans, landscapes, and communities). Solarpunk Hubs Camps & Events Curriculum Children’s Book Podcast
13. Objectives OBJECTIVE 1: Act as a bridge between disconnected worlds by providing education and exposure to existing on-the-ground solutions in the Web3, ReFi, and regeneration ecosystems. This will be accomplished initially through the Solarpunk Generation Podcast , which is the seed for other upcoming projects.
14. OBJECTIVE 2: Provide talent-development opportunities and emotional coping tools to align individual’s gifts to regeneration and climate change action efforts. This will be accomplished through a trauma-informed curriculum that aims to help individuals identify their unique roles in building this future. This curriculum will be initially piloted and tested as an enrichment resource for existing eco-literacy programs and on-the-ground local communities wishing to implement educational programming or consult to strengthen their pedagogical models, structures, and strategies. The curriculum will be eventually delivered through Solarpunk Camps offered seasonally. The curriculum combines best practices to address climate despair and eco-anxiety with research-based educational strategies to spark imagination, creativity, and innovation in children and youth, serving as a model for other local and global communities. Objectives
15.  OBJECTIVE 3: Elevate and amplify the voices and solutions of marginalized communities and help them channel their creative energy to contribute to new and existing innovative and practical solutions to climate change, regeneration, and social justice issues. This will be accomplished through the podcast, children’s book, and curriculum.  OBJECTIVE 4: Design, co-create, and facilitate in-person and online events that include shorter versions and stand-alone elements of the overall curriculum. These include nature restoration camps, art immersions, and experiential learning events focused on community-based and project-based service learning.  OBJECTIVE 5: Collaborate with other projects, organizations, movements, individuals, and groups to promote ecological health and resilience and facilitate the creation of global networks of eco-hubs or Solarpunk Hubs and common pools of resources designed to harness our collective creativity to build a regenerative civilization. Objectives
16. Podcast and Children’s Book Features inspiring children/youth, Gen Z, Gen Alpha, Millennials, parents, grandparents, etc., engaging in sustainable environmental and climate action, ReFi, solutions, or innovation leading to a Solarpunk future. Many guests will be encouraged to collaborate for other phases of the larger project (e.g. area expert guests for Solarpunk Camp, workshops, mentoring, pilots, fundraising events). The stories will become material for a children’s book to share and further amplify the work of change makers, activists, ReFi and climate leaders working on innovative ideas and solutions and inspire more families and adults to move into action.
17. Solarpunk Hubs Idea pods for Solarpunk-Ikigai identification Allow participants to explore their interests and curiosities in a hands-on, meaningful way Provide talent development opportunities to align individual’s gifts to climate and regeneration work Connect individuals with on- the-ground regeneration projects to catalyze collective intelligence Emphasize real world applications Help individuals identity their Flow triggers and build skills for group Flow Spaces for individual and community wellness, nurturing, and inner regeneration Use Gifted and Talented pedagogy with general populations to engage everyone Embrace neurodiversity and invite all kinds of minds to participate Provide mind-mapping tools for interdisciplinary integration
18. Benefits of Solarpunk Hubs Address Eco-Anxiety Foster social, emotional, ecological, and collective intelligence Help individuals and communities reclaim their agency and autonomy Increase capacity for individuals and communities to impact their ecosystems Build resilience in communities and individuals Help individuals shift out of despair and build Active Hope Create regenerative culture through art, storytelling, and inspired action Increase community collaboration and reduce feelings of isolation Break through psychological defenses against climate action Promote intergenerational environmental engagement
19. Solarpunk Camp Curriculum Offers a powerful research-based approach to promote imagination, creativity, and innovation (ICI) in young people in addition to reducing eco- anxiety and increasing intergenerational environmental engagement. Project-based and community based- service learning and nature immersion/restoration activities for all ages Collaboration with landowners, regenerative farmers, and new and existing community-based regeneration efforts and initiatives Opportunities to explore and connect gaps and solutions Exposure to a wide variety of enrichment and self-directed activities designed to support the early identification of individual interests, strengths, and talents and connect these to the larger web of environmental solutions Access to area expert mentors and connection with resources and collaborators from all generations to catalyse ideas and solutions
20. From Developing of an instrument to measure opportunities for imagination, creativity, and innovation (ICI) in schools. Gifted Education International Journal (Renzulli, Beghetto, and Brandon 2019). Solarpunk Camp Curriculum Approach
21. Solarpunk Immersion Events Events include shorter versions and stand-alone elements of overall Solarpunk Camp Curriculum and Solarpunk Hubs:  Ikigai Days  Art Exhibitions  Innovation Pods  Service-Learning Days  Weekend Incubations and Idea Pods  Nature Restoration Camps  Inner Regeneration Retreats  Gaps/Solutions Teach-ins and Workshops  And more!
22. Needs Volunteers Core team Council members: (Gen Alpha, Gen Z, millennial, boomer, indigenous elder) Partners, allies, stewards, co-creators Area expert guests and mentors in areas related to systems-change, regeneration, and climate solutions Funding to scale these programs and resources to make them available to all Visibility: Social media manager, graphic designer, website development, and marketing campaign manager Nature educators, permaculturalists, farmers Land to love, restore, and heal Solarpunk artists Illustrator