Willowgrove Presents:
Tending Hope
Sat. Aug. 17/24 @ 2pm
(Inside the Indoor Pavilion)
TENDING HOPE is an interactive workshop to help people who love and care about the young people in their lives to have courageous and hopeful conversations about climate change.
Or call Rebecca at (647) 472-8438
Admission is by donation.
Drawing on her book: Tending Tomorrow: Courageous Change for People and Planet
Leah Reesor-Keller will provide practical examples and resources for adults on how to talk to children about climate anxiety.
Participants will also be encouraged to reflect on their own faith and wisdom traditions to think about what has sustained them to live in hope during times of adversity, and how they can share this with the young people in their lives.
About the Facilitator
Leah Reesor-Keller is a speaker, writer, and leadership consultant who helps churches and nonprofits set vision and strategy for transformational change. She currently serves as transitional executive director of KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives. During her tenure as executive minister of Mennonite Church Eastern Canada, she led a historic revisioning process for the largest conference in the Mennonite Church Canada denomination. She has nearly 20 years’ experience working with faith-based and social justice organizations in Canada, Haiti, Jamaica, and Nepal. Leah holds an MA in development studies and a BA in political science and peace and conflict studies. She lives with her spouse and children in Kitchener, ON, where she is rewilding her urban yard one dandelion at a time.
About the Book - Tending Tomorrow
The future is uncertain. But flourishing doesn’t have to be.
We know without a doubt the power of humans to change the earth in lasting ways. Climate change is not a niche issue: it is the unfolding story of our embodied lives. As we join in with the groaning of creation, we wonder, How will we and coming generations make our home in an inhospitable future?
In the face of environmental and social upheaval, Tending Tomorrow lays out a path for Christians worried about our collective future and seeking courage and inspiration for the journey ahead. Drawing on metaphors from the natural world, author Leah Reesor-Keller offers foundational, transformative practices for leaders and communities to foster healthier cultures during a time of ecological devastation. When we dig into the roots of faith and culture, and envision new interactions and patterns, we plant seeds of change. Seeds that ignite courageous imagination. Seeds that repair injustice. Seeds that nurture a tomorrow where possibilities bloom and people and planet flourish.
Like mycorrhizal networks of fungi in a forest, we can build nourishing webs of connection to sustain ourselves and future generations. As we bravely and humbly cultivate healing and reconciliation, good, liberating, and flourishing things will emerge.
Endorsements
“Leah Reesor-Keller weaves an intelligent and relatable vision for courageous honesty and compassionate action when faced with what truth and reconciliation ask of us. As a mother, an activist, and a Christian, she shares a pathway that can inspire our own as we collectively awaken to the challenges by radically grounding our lives in Reality rather than denial and Love rather than fear.”
“We are used to thinking of religion as mainly a force for tradition; this book is a timely and sprightly reminder that it can be a springboard for change as well, as long as we’re willing to reimagine the contemporary meaning of our deep roots.
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“Tending Tomorrow is a visionary call to action, inviting readers on a transformative journey toward a sustainable and equitable future. Merging real-life stories with deep, communal engagement, this book encourages us to reimagine our relationship with the world and our spiritual and cultural roots. It addresses the despair and hopelessness many feel in the face of polycrisis, offering a beacon of hope. Through its pages, we are guided to redream, retell, and renew our collective destiny, making it an essential read for anyone seeking hope and direction in challenging times.”