FEATURED UPCOMING EVENT FOR SPRING 2024

Turtles on the Move Parade, May 4, 2024

Join Woody Wood Turtle, lots of other Turtle puppets, and their people relatives for the “Turtles on the Move Parade” SAT MAY 4 2pm-4pm at High Park in Toronto/Tkaronto! To learn more visit Turtle Protectors. The parade will be led by Grandmother Vivian Recollet and feature puppets made by Ange Loft (Kanien’kehá:ka, from Kahnawà:ke, QC, Canada; lives in Toronto, ON, Canada) plus Indigenous drummers and singers and volunteers from many Turtle protection organizations. The organizers are inviting us to bring our own handmade Turtle puppets and/or signs with words of encouragement for Turtle. Woody and I are so excited! Woody Wood Turtle is just over a year old. I made this beloved puppet (pictured below) during a series of Earth Month 2023 virtual workshops facilitated by Sandra Lamouche (First Nation nehiyaw iskwew (Cree) artist. The series was called Honour Dance for Creation: Collective Art Making for Climate Action. We all researched endangered species, made puppets, and then did an honour dance with them. Thanks again to Sandra for leading us last year!

FEATURED UPCOMING EVENT FOR WINTER 2024

Climate Cafe: Dance Floor Edition, Feb. 15, 2024

I’m excited to be co-facilitating another Climate Cafe: Dance Floor Edition with Climate Coach Amy Castator. Join us on THURS FEB 15 at 7PM on Zoom for an opportunity to express your climate emotions through movement and music. The event is all about connecting with others in a way we usually don’t get to in climate spaces: by dancing together! You are invited to come as you are, and participate according to our own preferences and abilities. Register here.

TWO EARLY EMBODIED CLIMATE JUSTICE FITNESS (ECJF) PROJECT POSTS: ALIGNING FITNESS WITH CLIMATE AWARENESS

Climate change is a serious global issue (indeed a crisis and our shared predicament) affecting the health of individuals, communities, ecosystems and our planet. Join me and others as we envision, feel & express with our bodies, and share our Active Hope and intentions for bringing about a more sustainable climate future for all.

Introducing an infographic about Embodied Climate Justice Fitness (ECJF). Visit my Activations page for climate-aware movement videos and related resources. You can email me at climatejusticefitness@gmail.com to learn more. Follow me on Instagram @annanieminenecjf

Who is Embodied Climate Justice Fitness (ECJF) for? Visit my Activations page for climate-aware movement videos and related resources. You can email me at climatejusticefitness@gmail.com to learn more. Follow me on Instagram @annanieminenecjf

FEATURED POST: CITIES AND CLIMATE ACTION

Why does Embodied Climate Justice Fitness (ECJF) amplify the necessity for climate action in cities? Because while urban areas exert increasing stress on the Earth and are continuing to grow, they can play an outsized role in creating solutions for a more sustainable climate future for all. If you live in Toronto/Tkaronto, I encourage you to learn about the TransformTO Net Zero Strategy. You can email me at climatejusticefitness@gmail.com to learn more. Follow me on Instagram @annanieminenecjf

FEATURED POST: WORKING COLLECTIVELY FOR CLIMATE MENTAL HEALTH

I highly recommend reading “How to Live Meaningfully with Climate Anxiety” by Britt Wray. You can find the excerpt from her speech to the World Economic Forum 2023 by visiting Gen Dread.

With the graphic below I’m featuring two quotes. Britt advises:

So, to recap, to prevent climate mental health challenges, think of: “Do a favor, work with neighbors”.

And to treat climate mental health challenges in ways that can spread, think: “Peer-sharing for scalable caring”.

I also recommend Climate Cafe Facilitation training from the Climate Psychology Alliance North America or CPA in the UK. You can also watch for future trainings and courses in the new “Living with the Climate Crisis” program. These are “psychologically based groups to help people respond creatively and collectively to our global dilemmas.” Visit Living with the Climate Crisis for more information.

Feel free to contact me as well since I’m a new CPA-NA member who has taken both these trainings from CPA. I’m eager to connect and share with others. I’m currently seeking co-facilitators interested in offering these programs in Toronto/Tkaronto and virtually.

FEATURED FACILITATION EVENTS 2023

Thank you to “Moving With Our Climate Emotions: Easy Dance Fitness Workshop” participants Noor Rahim and Kate McBurney @k8_mcburney (on Instagram) for these wonderful testimonials! This workshop was based in part on resources in my “Sitting and Moving With Climate Emotions” blog post. Thank you to all the participants who joined me virtually on Thurs. Sept. 14, 2023. I look forward to offering this workshop again in 2024.

Thank you to Talk Climate To Me (TCTM) for supporting Kriti and me as volunteer facilitators of a pilot, in-person “Small Talk about Climate Change” session during Campfire Circle’s conference for their volunteers. Thanks also to Campfire Circle for such a friendly welcome. Visit Talk Climate to Me to watch their Small Talk video and check out the helpful Small Talk Facilitation Guide for hosting your own Small Talk Watch Party.

FEATURED VOLUNTEER CERTIFICATES OF COMPLETION

FEATURED FITNESS PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION

Thank you to the University of Ottawa Heart Institute for offering the Heart Wise Exercise Training Course & Exam. I value the knowledge (and CEC credits) I gained by taking courses such as “Exercise and the Cardiac Participant”, “Exercise and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)” and “The Health Canada Air Quality Health Index (AQHI)” among others. These three courses are particularly relevant as we face increasing health risks from extreme heat and cold, wildfire smoke, and other hazards in our warming world. One of the aims of the AQHI course is to be a source of information to encourage pollution reduction action. You can also learn about the AQHI by visiting the Government of Canada’s website.

POSTS FROM SEPT 2023-DEC 2023

Global March to End Fossil Fuels, Toronto/Tkaronto, Sept. 16, 2023

Mass Protest to Stop Healthcare Privatization, Toronto/Tkaronto, Sept. 25, 2023

TSC Toronto Waterfront Marathon Expo, Oct. 13, 2023

Climate Cafe: Dance Floor Edition, Nov. 30, 2023

POSTS from JAN 2023-JULY 2023

It was great to see so many of us out on a frigid morning to hand out flyers and talk to our neighbours about stopping the cuts to the TTC in the City of Toronto 2023 Budget. Here’s Monica with the sign and me at Scarborough Town Centre. Thank you to TTC Riders for organizing the Feb 2 Day of Action at TTC stops across the city. You can visit TTCRiders.ca to learn about actions you can take for more equitable transit in our community. Thanks also to Progress Toronto for promoting the Day of Action.

Thank you to Carbon Conversations Toronto (CCTO) for offering “Climate Change and You: A six-part program of discovery and learning”. I’m grateful to have been a participant in the Jan 11-Feb 15, 2023 virtual cohort. Thank you to facilitators Maria, Bill and Barb for creating a safe space for our group. They modelled sharing their feelings about their own challenges and successes with reducing their personal carbon footprints so that we could feel comfortable talking about our own feelings of ambivalence and enthusiasm regarding making changes. I enjoyed the balance of whole group and one-on-one/small group discussions and fondly remember the individuals and our conversations. I value the opportunity I had to reflect on, talk about, and plan for reducing my personal carbon footprint relating to Energy at Home, Travel and Transport, Food and Water, and Consumption and Waste. We also learned about talking with friends, family and colleagues. The Rules of Thumb summaries in the Handbook and the Checklists in the Workbook will come in handy as I move forward. I will also refer back to the Climate Justice Spotlight additions to the Handbook for Ontarians to deepen my learning. I really appreciated the time everyone committed to showing up for themselves and each other as we learned and shared during the 6 weeks of the program.

February 21st is International Mother Language Day and this week I’m taking some time to learn more of my mother’s Finnish language. With this Activate Your Learning Series # 4 I invite you to breathe as you read (or listen) about climate feelings vocabulary in Finnish and English. This post is inspired by Season 1 Episode 1 of my favourite podcast called Climate Change and Happiness. It’s interesting and helpful to learn about, sit with, reflect on, and talk about different words for feelings about the climate and ecological crises. What nuanced feeling words do you know?

Thank you to Chris Johnstone, Joanna Macy, and other contributors for offering “Active Hope Foundations Training”. I’m grateful to have completed this free, video-based, online journey over seven weeks in March-April, 2023. I highly recommend the course for anyone experiencing climate distress. I especially appreciated the teachings about The Work That Reconnects and systems theory, as well as the downloadable practice worksheets. There are also a couple fun music videos for those, like me, who like to deepen their learning through singing and dancing along.

Post-course update: Read my related Sitting and Moving With Climate Emotions blog post which features the “Active Hope” music dance video from the AHFT course.

On SATURDAY JULY 29 2PM-4PM let’s gather together at Unique Books bookstore in Scarborough, ON, for a hybrid literary and movement arts event and take part in the 8th annual global “The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever” celebration.

We will celebrate Emily Bronte’s and Kate Bush’s birthdays, Emily’s classic novel and poetry, and Kate’s 1978 “Wuthering Heights” song and music video (red outfit version).

We’ll begin with some poetry appreciation by discussing two poems by Emily Bronte that relate to themes in her Wuthering Heights novel, followed by reviewing the lyrics of Kate Bush’s song. Then we’ll turn to practicing the upper body movements of a portion of the dance choreography while seated in our chairs, followed by re-enacting the dance. Participate according to your own preferences and abilities. Feel free to observe only. Wear a red outfit (or not). After some brief comments about the Moors for the Future Partnership‘s work on restoration and conservation of the moorlands, we’ll have time for conversation and browsing in Scarborough’s new, independent, cozy bookstore with its hand-picked selection of used, vintage, antiquarian and rare books.

Who knew

there’s a moor

on the bookstore floor?

This event is FREE

Unique Books bookstore is located at 1182 Kennedy Road, Scarborough, ON, M1P 2L1. There is parking and a washroom on site. The store is wheelchair accessible but the washroom is not. Please call 416 984 7300 with any questions about the venue. Visit: https://uniquebooks.ca/

We look forward to seeing you at this special celebration!

Warm regards,

Anna and Jeevan

Anna Nieminen and Jeevan Bhagwat,

Co-facilitators, Scarborough Poetry Club

POSTS FROM 2022

Join me for a presentation on Embodied Climate Justice Fitness (ECJF) on Sunday, July 3 at 10:30am at Don Heights Unitarian Congregation. You can join the service and my presentation in person or virtually. Through my talk and presentation of a 6 minute activation demo, learn how symbolizing and cultivating climate justice principles, issues and ideals with physical activity during a group fitness experience can create a space for self-reflection, education and community building, which can inspire climate activism. The service will include a reading of two poems by Jeevan Bhagwat, who is ECJF’s poet in residence.

Post-event update: Read the related A 2022 Highlight blog post. View the presentation.

On SAT JULY 30, 2022 at 2PM EDT, let’s gather together on Zoom and celebrate Kate Bush’s famous 1978 “Wuthering Heights” song and music video (red outfit version) as part of the 7th annual “The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever” global event.

This edition is a hybrid literary and movement arts event.

We’ll begin with some poetry appreciation by discussing two poems by Emily Bronte that relate to themes in her Wuthering Heights novel, followed by reviewing the lyrics of Kate Bush’s song. Then we’ll turn to practicing the upper body movements of the dance choreography while seated in our chairs (standing is optional). Finally, we’ll channel our inner Cathys as we re-enact the dance, seated (or standing), wearing a red outfit (or not).

Who knew

there’s a moor

on your living room floor?

This event is presented by The Scarborough Poetry Club‘s co-facilitators Anna Nieminen, poetry curator/movement arts facilitator, and poet Jeevan Bhagwat. Email scarboroughpoetry@gmail.com for a Zoom invite link.

We invite you to visit Moors for the Future Partnership to learn about restoration and protection efforts that are enhancing habitats, reducing the risk of wildfires, and tackling climate change on the moorlands. In this article you can read about celebrating the moors landscape on the bicentenary of Emily Bronte’s birth.

Introducing Embodied Climate Justice Fitness (ECJF)

Climate-aware fitness: because there’s #NoFitnessOnASickPlanet

Can fitness facilitate climate justice? What can fitness learn from how sport is addressing climate injustice?  How can fitness support a just transition toward a net-zero future? How can we balance climate activism with creative coping strategies?

Climate-aware fitness or Embodied Climate Justice Fitness (ECJF), takes a mindful approach to fitness instructing by welcoming feelings about the climate crisis, facilitating the mirroring and channeling of these emotions through a combination of narrative and movement, thereby creating space for transforming their weight, moving the energy through our bodies and, ideally, generating some power to act on the emotions. 

Through a talk and presentation of a brief activation demo, learn how symbolizing and cultivating climate justice principles, issues and ideals with physical activity during a group fitness experience can create a space for self-reflection, education and community building, which can inspire climate activism. Participating in the brief activation seated in your chair or standing is optional. Give your feedback or ask questions during a brief Q&A.

Email climatejusticefitness@gmail.com for a Zoom invite link

Read the related “Working Out in a Warming World” blog post.

Anna Nieminen (she/her) is a climate-aware movement arts/fusion fitness facilitator, creative climate communicator & blogger. Follow her on Instagram @annanieminenecjf

This weekend October 01-02, 2022 I completed the online edition of the Talk Climate to Me course. I’m proudly displaying my graduation badge here. As promised it was “fun, free, unscary, online”, so I encourage you to check it out too. It did not take me the whole weekend either (that said, investing time in learning about climate communication is meaningful for me and I’m personally committed to my continuing education). Each of the four episodes is just over half an hour, so that’s very manageable. It did get heavy feelings-wise with Episode 2 on Empathy, but the course is created in a way to help you to feel safe and to encourage you to take care of yourself. There are opportunities for mindful breathing and a few cat pictures too LOL. I’m really looking forward taking this course again virtually with other participants this October-November. Check out Talk Climate to Me for a fall 2022 session that could work for you. You can view an introductory “Small Talk about Climate Change” video that’s just over 20 minutes to learn more and get a feel for the online edition and the virtual sessions.