Hosting a Climate Café: Facilitation Training

The workshop is for those who have recognized the value of the Climate Café concept, in which thoughts, feelings and mixed emotions that arrive in response to challenges of climate warming are shared in safety. The workshop is therefore aimed at those who want to learn how to “hold the space” where personal experiences, fears and uncertainties, will be brought.

Following attendance at the workshop, they will be confident and supported in facilitating cafés in their own localities. This workshop will cover the psychology of the climate and ecological emergency, a taster Climate Café, building a toolkit of practical resources and a discussion of the organisation and facilitation of Climate Cafés. It follows the model developed by the Climate Psychology Alliance.

What is a Climate Café?

A Climate Café is a simple, hospitable, empathetic process that offers a space where fears and uncertainties about our climate crisis can be safely expressed, leading over time to greater emotional resilience and understanding.

We need the kind of exploration that Climate Cafés provide as it becomes more evident that climate change is not a far-away problem but a clear and present danger to our own safety and wellbeing. People increasingly need to talk about what our changing climate means for them in terms of impacts at personal, family and societal level. 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.

The focus of discussion is participants’ thoughts and feelings about the climate crisis. There are no guest speakers and no talks, and it is an advice-free zone. This is psychologically important, helping to create the supportive atmosphere.

What is the purpose of this workshop?

We hope to enable experienced facilitators to hold Climate Café workshops in locations across Scotland. Because there is a waiting list for the Climate Psychology Alliance workshops we have asked for this workshop to be held specifically for those in Scotland who are interested in holding a café in their own community.

This workshop will support participants to develop the confidence to set up their own Climate Café. It will include a short taster climate café, the principles on which Climate Cafés are based, building a toolkit of practical resources, and a discussion of the organisation and facilitation of Climate Cafés.

Who is running it?

SCCAN is organising this workshop for its members. The workshop coordinators will be Pam Candea and Elspeth Crawford. Pam and Elspeth are members of the Climate Psychology Alliance with experience of Climate Cafe facilitation and a broad range of past experience in enabling groups.

Advance registration is essential.

The details

Details: Wed 12th October 17.30 – 20.30pm BST

Cost: £20 standard rate & £5 concessionary rate (for students and those on low income).

A reminder will be sent to registered participants leading up to the workshop and the Zoom link will be shared the day beforehand. Please check spam/junk folders.

If you have any problems please email [email protected]