Crisis Cafe in a Climate Crisis

The Australian Government’s Climate Risk Report just landed, the North West Shelf has been approved, and there are whispers of a painfully low 2035 climate target. Feeling it all? Yup, us too.

ECOMIND and the Australian Youth Climate Coalition invite you to a Crisis Climate Café. This is a virtual safe, youth-led space to unpack the stress, grief, anger (and occasional laughter) that comes with being a young Aussie in the climate crisis (especially from the climate news over the last week).

ECOMIND’s Youth Climate Cafés, powered by Psychology for a Safe Climate, are safe, inclusive spaces where young people (aged 16 – 30) come together to talk about how climate change impacts their lives, mental health and well-being.

Format: A 1.5 hour virtual hangout over Zoom with a small group of young Aussies who give a sh*t about the climate.

What to expect: A casual, feelings-focused discussion about climate change in a relaxed environment. There is no guest speaker, advice given or call to action. Here you can voice your climate concerns and share your thoughts and feelings in response to the climate crisis.

Why they matter: Climate Cafés provide an outlet for climate feelings, build community and provide peer-to-peer support. While action may be the antidote to anxiety, climate cafes first help us connect and unpack the gut-punch of the recent climate news and translate it in a healthy, sustainable way.

Facilitators bios

Georgia Monaghan

Georgia is a climate and nature lawyer and consultant at Sydney-based sustainability advisory group, Pollination. After herself struggling with the enormity of the climate challenge facing the world, she founded ECOMIND to help young people process their climate emotions and channel them into climate actions. She is a PSC-trained Climate Café Facilitator and when she is not actively seeking meaningful ways to have a climate impact, she re-energises through yoga, beach swims and deleting (and re-downloading) her social media.

Courtney Kovac

Court is a mental health content designer who has worked with youth mental health charity, batyr, and at University of Canberra. Her passion for preventative mental health education and looking after the environment meant that when ECOMIND came along, she felt the stars align. Court is a PSC-trained Climate Café Facilitator and loves to move in fun ways, immerse herself in the ocean and spend time with her friends and family.