Virtual Climate Cafe for Animal Advocates & Vegans

What is a Climate Café? A climate café is a simple, hospitable, empathetic space where fears & uncertainties about our climate & ecological crisis can be safely expressed. The model is adapted from Death Cafés. This one is for anyone aged 18 or over, who engages in animal advocacy and/or is vegan. Why do we need Climate Cafés designed for animal advocates & vegans? We need the kind of exploration that climate cafés provide as it becomes more evident that climate and ecological breakdown are not far-away problems but a clear and present danger to our own safety and well-being levels. People increasingly need to talk about what our changing world means for them in terms of impacts at personal, family and societal levels. We need to imagine it in some detail so as to be able to think about it constructively and clear-sightedly and to explore some complex feelings and thoughts which may often be taboo and hard to talk about. At the same time, more and more people discover countless ways in which animal agriculture and animal exploitation are linked to the destruction of our planet and its habitats. Yet, there are few places where animal advocates and vegans can explore their feelings related to the climate crisis without fear of judgment. What happens during a Climate Café? The focus of the online meet-up is participants’ thoughts and feelings about the intersection of animal advocacy, veganism, climate change, and ecological crisis. There are no guest speakers or talks, and it is an advice-free zone. Who is facilitating this Climate Café? My name is Beatrice. I studied Psychology and Counselling at the undergraduate level and currently work at one of the biggest mental health charities in the UK. I am especially interested in applying Compassion-Focused Therapy, Mindfulness as well as the practice of Non-Violent Communication, also known as NVC. I am about to start my diploma in Somatic Coaching. I have trained to facilitate Climate Cafés with the Climate Psychology Alliance (CPA) and am a member of theirs. I regularly attend CPA supervision sessions and learn from my peers. I also lead a Mental Well-being channel for an Animal Advocates community on Slack. You can join Hive (previously known as Impactful Animal Advocacy) here. The event will be held over MS Teams. Please check spam/junk folders, and if you have any issues or questions, you can contact me via email at beatrice.narkeviciute@gmail.com.