The calendar shows events we are part of and events we are sponsoring. Do you have an event we should know about? Send us a message.
Join us for November’s Climate Café Gathering!
Election Results Got You Down?
Worried about the environment in light of the newly elected administration?
Please come ready to share your thoughts and concerns.
Each Climate Café Gathering includes facilitators from The Resilient Activist as well as a Climate-Aware Therapist to guide the conversations in ways that are supportive and nurturing. This is your invitation to join us as we express our emotions, learn how to improve upon our activism in healthy ways, and build an activist community where people just get you.
As a note, we won’t meet this December but will resume as usual the last Monday in January.
Join us and build lasting connections with others as we support one another through these challenging times.
Register at this link.
Shop Global, Give Local: A Community Event with Crafted Fair Trade
Date: December 5th, 2024
15% of all sales during this event will be donated to The Resilient Activist to support our emotional resiliency programming into 2025 and beyond.
As this store is a verified member of the Fair Trade Federation, all goods purchased will support better working conditions, a fairer deal for workers in low-income countries, and increased control over their lives and livelihoods.
So as you shop for ethically-crafted gifts for loved ones this holiday season, know you’re supporting better international working conditions and more resiliency programming for environmental activists! 🎉
The Resilient Activist will be tabling at Crafted Fair Trade, so feel free to stop by our booth and chat, share your experience with the climate crisis, ask questions, and connect with our incredible team members.
Crafted Fair Trade strives to create a global marketplace that connects people, communities and cultures through sustainable products and ideas that foster equity and compassion. At their storefront, you’ll find handcrafted clothing, jewelry, home décor, rugs, specialty food, and beverages by artisans and farmers from over 40 countries.
Contact Karen Blum at karen@craftedfairtrade.org or 913.642.8368 with questions.
Photo Credit: Anna Tarazevich | Pexels
For our December 17th Book Club we will be reading Thin Places by Kerri ni Dochartaigh. I (Anne) read this book earlier this year. As a person who has not read very extensively about the conflict in Northern Ireland, I found myself profoundly affected by Kerri’s book. I’ve definitely become a fan of her writing.
To register, click here to email Anne Melia, JEDI book club organizer.
A breathtaking mix of memoir, nature writing and social history: this is Kerri ní Dochartaigh’s story of a wild Ireland, an invisible border, an old conflict and the healing power of the natural world
Kerri ní Dochartaigh was born in Derry, Northern Ireland, at the very height of the Troubles. She was brought up on a grey and impoverished council estate on the wrong side of town. But for her family, and many others, there was no right side. One parent was Catholic, the other was Protestant. In the space of one year they were forced out of two homes and when she was eleven a homemade petrol bomb was thrown through her bedroom window. Terror was in the very fabric of the city, and for families like Kerri’s, the ones who fell between the cracks of identity, it seemed there was no escape.
In Thin Places, a mixture of memoir, history and nature writing, Kerri explores how nature kept her sane and helped her heal, how violence and poverty are never more than a stone’s throw from beauty and hope, and how we are, once again, allowing our borders to become hard, and terror to creep back in. Kerri asks us to reclaim our landscape through language and study, and remember that the land we fight over is much more than lines on a map, more than housing estates and parliament buildings – it will always be ours but, at the same time, it never really was.
To register, click here to email Anne Melia, JEDI book club organizer.
*CANCELED* Winter Prairie Walk with April Graham
Due to the incoming cold front this Jan. 18-19, unfortunately we are canceling our Jan. 18 Winter Prairie Walk with April Graham.
With how icy shaded parts of the trail will get, we’d rather our community stay safe at home with their sights set on our next nature-connected events.
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Estimated Walk Time: 60-90 minutes
Free Event hosted by The Resilient Activist (donations welcome) 💙
Ages 12+
❄️ Explore winter’s stark beauty, move your body, and connect with The Resilient Activist community with gardener and nature enthusiast April Graham this January! ❄️
Highlights for the Walk
The Jerry Smith Park Trail loops through 360 acres of native Missouri tall grass prairie. The winter prairie can be both bleak and beautiful. It’s subject to biting wind and bright, warm sun, often at the same time. It forces us to be open to easily overlooked beauty in imperfect conditions. With a warm beverage and good company, a winter prairie walk is fun, invigorating, and maybe a little muddy—but you won’t have to worry about ticks or mosquitos!
What to Wear & Recommended Accessories
This is an easy trail with few moderate inclines but some parts can be muddy and we may encounter ice or snow depending on the weather.
Wear warm shoes, preferably water-resistant, with good tread. Wool or warm socks, warm layers, gloves/mittens, and a good winter coat and hat are essential. Waterproof pants over warm pants are a wonderful addition to keep you dry.
The trail is on a hill with no tree cover, so we recommend wearing sunscreen and sunglasses. A warm beverage in an insulated travel mug is a nice addition. Cameras/smartphones are welcome and stopping for photos is encouraged.
“There’s no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothing, so get yourself a sexy raincoat and live a little.”– Billy Connolly, Scottish Comedian
Why Nature-Connection is Important
We *are* nature but our culture and lifestyle can separate from our connection with our environment. Re-establishing our sense of awareness and belonging in nature by breaking down barriers and spending more time outdoors helps each of us in different ways. It can reduce anxiety and depression, improve physical health, inspire creativity, improve clarity of thought, facilitate problem-solving, and help us gain perspective.
In a society where loneliness is an epidemic, rediscovering our sense of belonging within nature can help us feel a little less adrift and provide comfort when relationships with others fall short.
Contact Briana Anderson at 816.263.2616 with questions.
About Trail Leader, April Graham
“I grew up as a free-range child raised in equal parts by nature and science-loving parents, a labrador retriever, and two cats. Adventuring was encouraged in all weather and some of our best memories were made in rain, sleet, and snow. I volunteered as a kid with my parents at the Martha Lafite Thompson Nature Sanctuary in Liberty, MO, and worked there briefly in high school and college. My career has been divided between hospitality management for the first part and executive education, student experience, and engagement at the UMKC Bloch School of Management for the past nine years. I enjoy rambling walks outside, gardening, photography, meteor showers, audiobooks, and watching K-dramas on Netflix.” – April Graham
For our January 21st book club, we will be reading Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth by Sarah Smarsh.
To register, click here to email Anne Melia, JEDI book club organizer.
“During Sarah Smarsh’s turbulent childhood in Kansas in the 1980s and 1990s, the forces of cyclical poverty and the country’s changing economic policies solidified her family’s place among the working poor.
By telling the story of her life and the lives of the people she loves, Smarsh challenges us to look more closely at the class divide in our country and examine the myths about people thought to be less because they earn less.
Her personal history affirms the corrosive impact intergenerational poverty can have on individuals, families, and communities, and she explores this idea as lived experience, metaphor, and level of consciousness.
Smarsh was born a fifth generation Kansas wheat farmer on her paternal side and the product of generations of teen mothers on her maternal side. Through her experiences growing up as the daughter of a dissatisfied young mother and raised predominantly by her grandmother on a farm thirty miles west of Wichita, we are given a unique and essential look into the lives of poor and working class Americans living in the heartland. Combining memoir with powerful analysis and cultural commentary, Heartland is an uncompromising look at class, identity, and the particular perils of having less in a country known for its excess.”
To register, click here to email Anne Melia, JEDI book club organizer.
Overwhelmed by Climate Change?
You’re Not Alone.
Resilience grows from community. As we envision a greener Earth, the new year offers a chance to unite. Together, we’ll cultivate strength, nurturing our planet and each other. This shared mission transforms our work into a powerful force for renewal.
The Resilient Activist Climate Café Gatherings offer a valuable opportunity to connect with a community that gets you, fill your cup, and gain resilience insights. Our community is full of folks who are experiencing many of the emotions that climate change has brought out in your heart and mind.
There is nothing for you to commit to except to gather your favorite beverage, a journal, find a comfortable spot with your Zoom window open, and just be you.
Each session includes facilitators from The Resilient Activist as well as a Climate-Aware Therapist to guide the conversations in ways that are supportive and nurturing.
Here are some comments from previous gatherings:
“If you are looking for like minded people who are working in a positive way toward goals for climate advocacy, this is your group!”
“Community support is vital for dealing with anxiety around environmental issues. I’m so happy TRA has facilitated discussions like tonight’s Climate Cafe’ and look forward to future conversations.”
“I faced my problem, now I can work on it. This is huge.”
For our February 18th JEDI Book Club, we will be reading Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom by Ilyon Woo.
To register, click here to email Anne Melia, JEDI Book Club organizer.
The remarkable true story of Ellen and William Craft, who escaped slavery through daring, determination, and disguise, with Ellen passing as a wealthy, disabled White man and William posing as “his” slave.
In 1848, a year of international democratic revolt, a young, enslaved couple, Ellen and William Craft, achieved one of the boldest feats of self-emancipation in American history. Posing as master and slave, while sustained by their love as husband and wife, they made their escape together across more than 1,000 miles, riding out in the open on steamboats, carriages, and trains that took them from bondage in Georgia to the free states of the North.
Along the way, they dodged slave traders, military officers, and even friends of their enslavers, who might have revealed their true identities. The tale of their adventure soon made them celebrities, and generated headlines around the country. Americans could not get enough of this charismatic young couple, who traveled another 1,000 miles criss-crossing New England, drawing thunderous applause as they spoke alongside some of the greatest abolitionist luminaries of the day—among them Frederick Douglass and William Wells Brown.
But even then, they were not out of danger. With the passage of an infamous new Fugitive Slave Act in 1850, all Americans became accountable for returning refugees like the Crafts to slavery. Then yet another adventure began, as slave hunters came up from Georgia, forcing the Crafts to flee once again—this time from the United States, their lives and thousands more on the line and the stakes never higher.
With three epic journeys compressed into one monumental bid for freedom, Master Slave Husband Wife is an American love story—one that would challenge the nation’s core precepts of life, liberty, and justice for all—one that challenges us even now.
Overwhelmed by Climate Change?
You’re Not Alone.
Resilience grows from community. The insular winter season offers us a chance to rest, dream, and collectively envision a more equitable and vibrant Earth. Together, we’ll cultivate strength, nurturing our planet and each other. This shared mission transforms these simple gatherings into powerful forces for renewal.
The Resilient Activist Climate Café Gatherings offer a valuable opportunity to connect with a community that gets you, fill your cup, and gain resilience insights. Our community is full of folks who are experiencing many of the emotions that climate change has brought out in your heart and mind.
Running for about 90 minutes, our Climate Café Gatherings include an introspective meditation, invitation to the topic of the evening (i.e., burnout, isolation, nature connection, etc.), breakout room conversations, and an ending group discussion.
There is nothing for you to commit to except to gather your favorite beverage, a journal, find a comfortable spot with your Zoom window open, and just be you.
Each session includes facilitators from The Resilient Activist as well as a Climate-Aware Therapist to guide the conversations in ways that are supportive and nurturing.
Register here for our February Climate Café Gathering.
Here are some musings from past participants:
“Each time I attend a Climate Café, I feel more connected to others, knowing that our communal love for Mother Earth is so strong and enduring. I come away more grounded, knowing that in the midst of so much chaos, there is compassion, care, and action for all living creatures.”
“Community support is vital for dealing with anxiety around environmental issues. I’m so happy TRA has facilitated discussions like tonight’s Climate Cafe’ and look forward to future conversations.”
“I faced my problem, now I can work on it. This is huge.”
“If you are looking for like minded people who are working in a positive way toward goals for climate advocacy, this is your group!”
Wednesday, Feb. 26 | 12:00 – 1:00 pm CT
Free Presentation held on Zoom
Get Your Tickets Here
Offered at prime time for garden planning, this presentation by Master Naturalist Anna Graether explores the radical impacts of native gardening vs. traditional lawn management, native gardening’s role in revitalizing local ecosystems, and practical steps to incorporate it into your own outdoor space.
Learn about the opportunities in your own backyard to…
- Create precious habitat for pollinators while beautifying your outdoor space
- Restore local food webs and increase biodiversity
- Discover a joyful and grounding way to practice your love for the planet
Come prepared to ask questions, take notes, and in general, fill your cup with native gardening inspiration! ✨
Anna Graether
Anna is a lifelong learner and leader, currently working to create and encourage landscapes that are not only beautiful but sustain life, sequester carbon, feed pollinators and manage water. Trained in commercial interior design, Anna worked at the intersection of design, facilities and sustainability for corporate, non-profit and government employers for thirty years.
In this, she was happiest when focused on good design that supports people in the workplace while reducing the impact of buildings on the environment. Anna has been on the boards of Burroughs Audubon, Kansas City Community Gardens and MainCor.
Late Winter Walk at Burr Oak Woods
Free Event hosted by The Resilient Activist (donations welcome) 💚
Meeting Spot: Parking Lot of the Burr Oak Woods Visitor’s Center
Ages 12+
This March, join us for a crisp, revitalizing walk at Burr Oak Woods and listen for barred owls at dusk 🌙
Highlights for the Walk
Burr Oak Woods is located in Blue Springs just north of I-70. In Blue Springs, take Highway 7 north of I-70 for 1.10 miles, then west 1 mile on Park Road to the conservation area.
The conservation area features steep forested hillsides along Burr Oak Creek, large limestone boulders and outcrops, restored prairies and woodlands, and a trail complex that will guide visitors through many of these unique environments.
We’ll meet at the parking lot of the Visitor Center, which is open until 5pm (see the Burr Oak Woods Conservation Area Map).
What to Wear & Recommended Accessories
Wear warm shoes, preferably water-resistant, with good tread. Wool or warm socks, warm layers, gloves/mittens, and a good winter coat and hat are essential. Waterproof pants over warm pants are a wonderful addition to keep you dry.
A warm beverage in an insulated travel mug is a nice addition. Cameras/smartphones are welcome and stopping for photos is encouraged.
“A walk in nature walks the soul back home.” – Mary Davis
Why Nature-Connection is Important
We *are* nature but our culture and lifestyle can separate from our connection with our environment. Re-establishing our sense of awareness and belonging in nature by breaking down barriers and spending more time outdoors helps each of us in different ways. It can reduce anxiety and depression, improve physical health, inspire creativity, improve clarity of thought, facilitate problem-solving, and help us gain perspective.
In a society where loneliness is an epidemic, rediscovering our sense of belonging within nature can help us feel a little less adrift and provide comfort amidst life’s constant changes.
Contact Anna Graether at 816.985.2337 with questions.
About Trail Leader and Board Member, Anna Graether
“Anna Graether is a board member of The Resilient Activist, a Johnson County Master Naturalist, and a Deep Roots Nature Advisor.
Her focus is on impacting climate change through speaking about, writing about, and planting more native plants at home, in her neighborhood, and in her city.“