“Rest and Resistance” by YFoE Scotland

Young Friends of the Earth Scotland has launched a lineup of digital events for young people aged 16-30 with an interest in social and climate justice running 10th to 23rd May.

The theme is rest and resistance. This year is a crucial one for the climate movement, yet so many of us are exhausted and burnout from a year of digital organising in a pandemic and a hyper capitalist world. Young FoE Scotland wanted to focus on resisting the systems that burn us out, on becoming more effective activists, and on rest and recharging.

Young FoE Scotland got a lineup of sessions focussing on key themes, with sessions focussing on skilling up, access and inclusion, resisting capitalism, and on rest and recharging offline.

Unfortunately it’s still not safe for us to get together physically, but we can still connect through this amazing lineup of workshops, skillshares and panels!

These sessions are open to young people aged 16-30 with a passion for climate and social justice -from anywhere in the world! If you’re under 16 and want to attend, please email crandall@foe.scot.

Read more about the workshops below:

COP26: Making the Most of the Moment
6pm 10th May
With the spotlight shone on Scottish and UK government climate policy, it represents a huge opportunity for the climate movement in Scotland to strengthen and mobilise. Join us for this interactive workshop to learn more about COP and how to organise around it. We will chat about what happens at COPs, the influence and potential of COP26, and how to use the moment of COP for your campaigns and communities!
More info and tickets

How to Make Change: Innovative Organising in Scotland

6pm 12th May
Join us as we hear from some incredible campaigners and organisers in Scotland about how to create meaningful change. In this panel we will hear from a variety of organisations working in different ways at different national and local levels across Scotland. We’ll learn about their groups, tactics and views on change-making, their recent successes, how they have adapted to organising during the pandemic, and have the chance to ask them questions.
More info and tickets

Capitalism and Climate Justice
6pm 13th May
Capitalism is the economic system we currently live under. You might hear the word a lot in critiques of the climate crisis, but what exactly is it, and where did it come from? Join Decolonising Economics for a workshop exploring the link between climate breakdown and the history of our capitalist economic system, and its roots in colonialism and empire. Although the empire happened a long time ago, it continues to shape a lot of the systems, mindsets and institutions we have today. This workshop will guide you through the development of these systems, and asks how can we create just climate futures with an understanding of the system at play?
More info and tickets

Making the Future Accessible: Access and inclusion in the climate movement
6pm 17th May
The climate justice movement cannot succeed unless it is accessible to all. Yet too often the movement excludes those whose voices need to be centred, and proposes climate solutions which discriminate against the marginalised, who are already disproportionately hit by the effects of climate change. How can we build a climate movement that includes everyone? What does access and inclusion mean in the context of climate justice and why is it important? Come along to our interactive and informative workshop to find out. Through a series of interactive discussions and activities we will collectively create a shared vision of the future of climate justice.
More info and tickets

Intro to Campaigning
6pm 20th May
Lots of us want to make a difference and take action on climate change, but sometimes we just don’t know where or how to start. What exactly is a campaign? How do you choose an issue to work on? What about targets and strategy? This workshop will give you an introduction to campaigning, and some tools to get you started!
More info and tickets

Rest, Recharge and Resist Capitalism
12pm 23rd May
To build and sustain a powerful and effective climate change movement, we need spaces to rest and recharge. After a year of digital organising, many of us are exhausted. Join us for an offline afternoon of regenerative activism. We have curated a variety of activities and resources for you to choose from, all designed to help you rest and recharge. While the term self-care has been co-opted by capitalist brands, these activities will help you recharge while also refusing capitalism. These will all be offline, away from screens, but done together across distance.
More info and tickets

Accessibility

All sessions run on Zoom. All levels of experience are welcome. Please let Young FoE Scotland know about any access needs in the sign up form.

Events will have optional automated captions provided by Otter AI. A fund for BSL interpretation is available and interpretation can be organised if given enough notice. Please email crandall@foe.scot asap if you require an interpreter for any event.

Small grants are available for digital access (e.g. data, webcams). Please email crandall@foe.scot.

Safer Spaces

We encourage you to familiarise yourself with the Safer Spaces policy before attending any events.

Young Friends of the Earth Scotland is a grassroots network of young people, from across Scotland, working collectively for social and environmental justice.

These events are run by young people, for young people. Please respect the age restrictions.