“Activism is the art of taking action to support, nurture, and protect what we hold dear.” ~The Resilient Activist
The Visionary Activist half-day Workshop is coming up!
What important gift is bubbling up from your heart to benefit the world?
TerraCycle Recycling for dental and personal waste products is extended to June 15th!
What’s New?
- 4/29 Climate of Community: Environmental Justice and Racism: What Are They and How They Affect You
- 5/6 Mental Health KC Conference “Mindfulness for a Resilient World” with Sami Aaron
- 5/10 Mindful Kansas City Initiative Planning Event
- 5/15 Climate Conversations with Visionary Activist Sheryl Hammontree of Thoughtful Threads
- 5/22 Visionary Activist Half-Day Introductory Workshop
- Sundays 9-10 am CDT Resilience and Morning Meditation on Zoom
- 6/19 Climate Conversations: Visionary Activist Carl Stafford with MY REGION WINS!
- 7/17 Climate Conversations with Margo Farnsworth: “Exploring a Deep Nature Connection”
- 8/21 Climate Conversations: Visionary Activist Beth Sarver with KC Restoration School
- Sept. 22-24 Plan It Native online conference presented by Deep Roots KC
- 10/3-10/8 Courageous Heart Silent Retreat: Engaging Mindfully with a Troubled World
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Kansas City Conservation Equity Network
The Resilient Activist is honored to be on the Coordinating Committee of the Kansas City Conservation Equity Network (KCCEN).
- KCCEN Purpose Statement: We are a network that offers ways to connect, inspire, share knowledge, and empower the conservation community in the Kansas City region to increase justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in all our work.
- KCCEN Vision: Just as biodiversity strengthens natural systems, the diversity of human experience strengthens our conservation efforts for the benefit of nature and all human beings. The Kansas City regional conservation community represents and reflects that human diversity, embracing it in all communities where we work, and our work to benefit communities and achieve conservation goals.
The Resilient Activist’s full Diversity Policy.
Participate!
We’d love to have you join us at our upcoming events.
Join The Resilient Activist for
Morning Meditation
Sundays 9 – 10 am CDT
On Zoom
These weekly practices are suitable for anyone – from new meditators to those with a deep and long-standing practice. They will follow the format of daily meditations we offered during the COVID-19 shut-ins. This article will give you an idea of what to expect.Support The Resilient Activist
Classes are offered at no charge. If you’re financially secure, a suggested donation of $15 per session will help us continue to provide programs like this one!
Register here for Zoom Meeting ID:
“I come every week because it’s the only place I can go to receive a breathing practice, and I come for the community that I really value.” TH “I like the idea of community also. Especially with the virus and having to stay at home, I realize I’ve felt the need to connect with people. I love the idea of the consciousness, the awareness, and the emphasis on nature. That’s important to me.” DP “I always wanted to learn more about meditation and I’m grateful for the opportunity to come and learn. I’m getting a lot out of it. I can tell that my ability to deal with circumstances is getting better about certain things.” AM “There are not many places I can go and have this type of conversation and feel comfortable.” JG “I come to meditation because it’s like my weekly reset. Even when things get busy and flustered and whatever, if I come here and I do it, it’s like a brand new start to my week and I feel better. It’s my must.” CJ “I feel like I have friends here even though I’ve never met most of the others in person.” JB “I’m here because this is such a perfect little sangha that we have going on Sunday mornings. I meditate a couple of times a day, but this is something special because every week it’s something different and very rewarding to do.” DB
Monday, May 10, 2021
6:30-8:30pm CDT
After a year-long pause as our community reeled from the pandemic, the Mindful Kansas City Initiative is reconvening with a renewed perspective.
Join The Resilient Activist along with KC Metro community members from the sectors of business, mental health, education, environmental stewardship, law enforcement, religion, etc. in exploring ways in which teaching the skills and concepts of mindfulness might offer an upstream approach to addressing some of our most pressing concerns.
We believe increasing awareness of and exposure to the practices of mindfulness can help create a paradigm shift and change in consciousness required for deep, lasting, beneficial change.
Rationale and Goals for Continuing the Mindful Kansas City Initiative
A perspective that has been reinforced for me in light of recent events is that many, if not most, of the big problems we face as human beings are, at their core, related to our deep conditioning (biological, dispositional, historical, cultural, evolutionary, etc.) – habitual and largely unquestioned ways of being in relationship with ourselves, others, and the planet. Policies and laws are of course important, but a change in consciousness is also needed if we are to see deep and lasting beneficial change. Increasing awareness of and exposure to the concepts and practices of mindfulness is one skillful way of taking an upstream approach to addressing these deeper cultural and systemic issues.
Therefore, in light of the continuing social distancing recommendations, one possible goal to focus on for now is awareness building through the development of live, online or asynchronous, on-demand mindfulness instruction/training/consulting programming to interested individuals, organizations and institutions. This is something we might be able to gain some momentum on for now. There is also the possibility of an interesting and exciting Mindful KC Zones opportunity, which we can discuss at our upcoming meeting if it comes to fruition.
Visionary Activist
Sheryl Hammontree
Founder of Thoughtful Threads
Saturday, May 15, 2021, 10 am-noon CDT on Zoom
Register here:
Sheryl Hammontree, owner of Thoughtful Threads Co: Expressive Apparel for Empowered People
Designer Sheryl Hammontree believes that what we wear can radiate positive vibes inside and out. That’s why she created Thoughtful Threads, which delivers heart-centered, expressive clothing for anyone who wishes to supercharge connection by spreading messages of empowerment, equality, love, and kindness.
Sheryl combines her mastery for creative, beautiful design with a fierce commitment to socially ethical and environmentally-friendly business practices. From the threads she chooses to the packaging she uses, she is focused on working with sustainable materials and fair trade, environmentally-friendly garments that respect people and protect our precious planet.
An active member of the Kansas City community, Sheryl has participated in events including the Win for KC Celebration, Central Exchange’s Midwest Leadership Summit (formerly Lyceum) and Advent Health’s Living in Vitality. When Sheryl’s not dreaming up new designs for Thoughtful Threads, you’ll find her outside. Whether in her garden or on a trail, she enjoys fresh air and an active lifestyle with her husband Joel and their rescue dogs Lilly and Rudy.
Want to be part of the movement sparking positive, thoughtful change? Visit ThoughtfulThreadsCo.com and discover all of the ways you can fearlessly express yourself while supporting a healthier, kinder, more optimistic world!
Join The Resilient Activist for
Morning Meditation
Sundays 9 – 10 am CDT
On Zoom
These weekly practices are suitable for anyone – from new meditators to those with a deep and long-standing practice.
They will follow the format of daily meditations we offered during the COVID-19 shut-ins. This article will give you an idea of what to expect.
Support The Resilient Activist
Classes are offered at no charge. If you’re financially secure, a suggested donation of $15 per session will help us continue to provide programs like this one!
Register here for Zoom Meeting ID:
“I come every week because it’s the only place I can go to receive a breathing practice, and I come for the community that I really value.” TH
“I like the idea of community also. Especially with the virus and having to stay at home, I realize I’ve felt the need to connect with people. I love the idea of the consciousness, the awareness, and the emphasis on nature. That’s important to me.” DP
“I always wanted to learn more about meditation and I’m grateful for the opportunity to come and learn. I’m getting a lot out of it. I can tell that my ability to deal with circumstances is getting better about certain things.” AM
“There are not many places I can go and have this type of conversation and feel comfortable.” JG
“I come to meditation because it’s like my weekly reset. Even when things get busy and flustered and whatever, if I come here and I do it, it’s like a brand new start to my week and I feel better. It’s my must.” CJ
“I feel like I have friends here even though I’ve never met most of the others in person.” JB
“I’m here because this is such a perfect little sangha that we have going on Sunday mornings. I meditate a couple of times a day, but this is something special because every week it’s something different and very rewarding to do.” DB
Register at this link
What important gift is bubbling up from your heart to benefit the world?
So many people long to join the movement to nurture the environment and bring harmony to all its beings. The Visionary Activist Program lets you imagine what you can do through your innate gifts to take actions that will make a vital difference.
Your VISION describes an injustice that tugs at your heartstrings. It is a cause you’ve talked about or donated to, but now you’re ready to do more.
Through guided meditations and journaling, supported by a deep nature connection, you will conceptualize your VISION and develop the tools to address it in ways you hadn’t imagined before.
The accompanying workbook will give you the perfect place to reflect, imagine, plan, and implement your dream.
You’ll explore tools for your personal resilience and wellbeing, because the more nourished you are, the more you’ll have to offer to your VISION.
This workshop will guide you to bring forth whatever is bubbling up from your heart in a way that feels joyous, safe, and uplifting starting right where you are right now.
This workshop will flow through meditation, journaling, and deep introspection as you examine your personal VISION through the introductory steps of the Visionary Activist Guide.
This workshop will be held on Zoom and we encourage participants to join us from a comfortable place either out-of-doors or indoors with a view of nature.
Fees:
- Supporting Donation: $90 (helps support others who are not able to pay full price)
- Sustaining Donation: $60 (this is the actual cost of the workshop)
- Supported Donation: $30 (for those needing support on the full ticket price)
- Full Scholarship: $0 (Requires pre-approval from the Visionary Activist Team. Contact us for scholarship information.)
Workshop goals:
- You’ll answer the question “what is yours to do?” Of all the social justice and environmental issues you care deeply about, you’ll determine the specific VISION that is right for you.
- You’ll journal a mindful remembrance of your strengths, education, experiences, communications, and connections around this VISION to show how the world is ready to support you and your mission.
- Through an exploration of your most heartfelt emotions – inner heart and outer heart – you’ll recognize the gifts that you are able to give to others in ways that will support you to remain grounded and stable.
- You’ll visualize and clarify your future action steps through imaginative storytelling and simple-to-follow guidelines.
- Imbued with the knowledge of what you need for long-term resilience and the guideposts in the accompanying workbook, you’ll embrace your personal power as you become a Visionary Activist.
Register at this link
Wherever you are on the Visionary Activist continuum, right now is the perfect time for you to begin to clarify and design just what is yours to do.
Presenter:
Sami Aaron is the founder of the nonprofit, The Resilient Activist, whose mission is to build resilience, optimism, and hope in response to the impact of the climate crisis by providing community, stress-relief, and nature-connected programming that supports positive ecological change.
She is a Climate Reality Leader, one of the thousands of volunteers in 126 countries who have been trained by Nobel Laureate Al Gore to educate the public about climate change.
Her experience as a County Extension Master Naturalist has broadened her understanding of the interconnectivity between nature and humanity, with an eye towards restoration and protection of natural areas and the wildlife that inhabit them.
Sami is a yoga and meditation teacher who focuses on the emotional and physical benefits of time spent in nature and the important connection we humans have with the natural world.
She is the author of “The Gift of Compassion” in Chicken Soup for the Soul, Grieving and Recovery.
Through Sami’s studies in meditation and yoga, along with her desire to guide others into a life rich in nature connection, she has created The Resilient Activist programs to nurture, uplift, and support those who strive to live in conscious harmony with Earth.
Read more about the Visionary Activist program.
If you haven’t yet watched our Visionary Activist interviews – take time to listen in at that link. You may be inspired by these activists’ stories and the joy they exude as they reflect on their Visionary Activist journeys.
Join The Resilient Activist for
Morning Meditation
Sundays 9 – 10 am CDT
On Zoom
These weekly practices are suitable for anyone – from new meditators to those with a deep and long-standing practice.
They will follow the format of daily meditations we offered during the COVID-19 shut-ins. This article will give you an idea of what to expect.
Support The Resilient Activist
Classes are offered at no charge. If you’re financially secure, a suggested donation of $15 per session will help us continue to provide programs like this one!
Register here for Zoom Meeting ID:
“I come every week because it’s the only place I can go to receive a breathing practice, and I come for the community that I really value.” TH
“I like the idea of community also. Especially with the virus and having to stay at home, I realize I’ve felt the need to connect with people. I love the idea of the consciousness, the awareness, and the emphasis on nature. That’s important to me.” DP
“I always wanted to learn more about meditation and I’m grateful for the opportunity to come and learn. I’m getting a lot out of it. I can tell that my ability to deal with circumstances is getting better about certain things.” AM
“There are not many places I can go and have this type of conversation and feel comfortable.” JG
“I come to meditation because it’s like my weekly reset. Even when things get busy and flustered and whatever, if I come here and I do it, it’s like a brand new start to my week and I feel better. It’s my must.” CJ
“I feel like I have friends here even though I’ve never met most of the others in person.” JB
“I’m here because this is such a perfect little sangha that we have going on Sunday mornings. I meditate a couple of times a day, but this is something special because every week it’s something different and very rewarding to do.” DB
Join The Resilient Activist for
Morning Meditation
Sundays 9 – 10 am CDT
On Zoom
These weekly practices are suitable for anyone – from new meditators to those with a deep and long-standing practice.
They will follow the format of daily meditations we offered during the COVID-19 shut-ins. This article will give you an idea of what to expect.
Support The Resilient Activist
Classes are offered at no charge. If you’re financially secure, a suggested donation of $15 per session will help us continue to provide programs like this one!
Register here for Zoom Meeting ID:
“I come every week because it’s the only place I can go to receive a breathing practice, and I come for the community that I really value.” TH
“I like the idea of community also. Especially with the virus and having to stay at home, I realize I’ve felt the need to connect with people. I love the idea of the consciousness, the awareness, and the emphasis on nature. That’s important to me.” DP
“I always wanted to learn more about meditation and I’m grateful for the opportunity to come and learn. I’m getting a lot out of it. I can tell that my ability to deal with circumstances is getting better about certain things.” AM
“There are not many places I can go and have this type of conversation and feel comfortable.” JG
“I come to meditation because it’s like my weekly reset. Even when things get busy and flustered and whatever, if I come here and I do it, it’s like a brand new start to my week and I feel better. It’s my must.” CJ
“I feel like I have friends here even though I’ve never met most of the others in person.” JB
“I’m here because this is such a perfect little sangha that we have going on Sunday mornings. I meditate a couple of times a day, but this is something special because every week it’s something different and very rewarding to do.” DB
Join The Resilient Activist for
Morning Meditation
Sundays 9 – 10 am CDT
On Zoom
These weekly practices are suitable for anyone – from new meditators to those with a deep and long-standing practice.
They will follow the format of daily meditations we offered during the COVID-19 shut-ins. This article will give you an idea of what to expect.
Support The Resilient Activist
Classes are offered at no charge. If you’re financially secure, a suggested donation of $15 per session will help us continue to provide programs like this one!
Register here for Zoom Meeting ID:
“I come every week because it’s the only place I can go to receive a breathing practice, and I come for the community that I really value.” TH
“I like the idea of community also. Especially with the virus and having to stay at home, I realize I’ve felt the need to connect with people. I love the idea of the consciousness, the awareness, and the emphasis on nature. That’s important to me.” DP
“I always wanted to learn more about meditation and I’m grateful for the opportunity to come and learn. I’m getting a lot out of it. I can tell that my ability to deal with circumstances is getting better about certain things.” AM
“There are not many places I can go and have this type of conversation and feel comfortable.” JG
“I come to meditation because it’s like my weekly reset. Even when things get busy and flustered and whatever, if I come here and I do it, it’s like a brand new start to my week and I feel better. It’s my must.” CJ
“I feel like I have friends here even though I’ve never met most of the others in person.” JB
“I’m here because this is such a perfect little sangha that we have going on Sunday mornings. I meditate a couple of times a day, but this is something special because every week it’s something different and very rewarding to do.” DB
Join The Resilient Activist for
Morning Meditation
Sundays 9 – 10 am CDT
On Zoom
These weekly practices are suitable for anyone – from new meditators to those with a deep and long-standing practice.
They will follow the format of daily meditations we offered during the COVID-19 shut-ins. This article will give you an idea of what to expect.
Support The Resilient Activist
Classes are offered at no charge. If you’re financially secure, a suggested donation of $15 per session will help us continue to provide programs like this one!
Register here for Zoom Meeting ID:
“I come every week because it’s the only place I can go to receive a breathing practice, and I come for the community that I really value.” TH
“I like the idea of community also. Especially with the virus and having to stay at home, I realize I’ve felt the need to connect with people. I love the idea of the consciousness, the awareness, and the emphasis on nature. That’s important to me.” DP
“I always wanted to learn more about meditation and I’m grateful for the opportunity to come and learn. I’m getting a lot out of it. I can tell that my ability to deal with circumstances is getting better about certain things.” AM
“There are not many places I can go and have this type of conversation and feel comfortable.” JG
“I come to meditation because it’s like my weekly reset. Even when things get busy and flustered and whatever, if I come here and I do it, it’s like a brand new start to my week and I feel better. It’s my must.” CJ
“I feel like I have friends here even though I’ve never met most of the others in person.” JB
“I’m here because this is such a perfect little sangha that we have going on Sunday mornings. I meditate a couple of times a day, but this is something special because every week it’s something different and very rewarding to do.” DB
Mindfulness for a Resilient World
for the Kansas Organization for Victim Assistance
with Sami Aaron, The Resilient Activist
Part I: June 16, 2021 – 10:00am-11:30am
Part II: June 30, 2021 – 10:00am-11:30am
Location: Online via Zoom: click here to register (Zoom link provided after registration)
Description: This program ties together instruction in a personal meditation practice infused with a deep nature connection for stress relief, physical and mental health benefits, and support for an environmentally resilient Earth.
- Part I opens with a presentation on “Mindfulness for a Resilient World” and will include simple steps for starting a home meditation practice to bring mindfulness into participants’ everyday lives for stress relief, physical relaxation, and emotional resilience.
- Part II will include a brief review of the mindfulness concepts, Q&A, and reflection after two weeks of personal practice, and will delve deeper into how to use nature and the outdoors to enhance and deepen a meditation practice to build long-term resilience.
- Both sessions will include a guided meditation practice.
- Participants should bring a journal, be in a comfortable, quiet setting, with props to support their seated posture. They can be in a chair, on a sofa, or on the floor. A light blanket might be helpful too.
“The best way to take care of the environment
is to take care of the environmentalist.”
~ Thich Nhat Hanh, The Sun My Heart