"I Wish I Could," by Deborah Milton
Climate Change and Consciousness (CCC) and Now What?! are celebrating their second anniversaries
In April of 2019, the Climate Change and Consciousness Conference took place at Findhorn Ecovillage in Scotland. In partnership with that event, a group of "conference weavers" convened the first and second Now What?! gatherings in March and May to connect CCC19 with other aligned events taking place around the world at that time, and to support community-building as an outgrowth. As a result of this work, both CCC and Now What?! have continued as initiatives, and lively communities have developed around them.
On April 22, 2021, we celebrate these two initiatives and their communities, and look forward to their continued growth and evolution. The two hour gathering will take place via Zoom from 11:00-13:00 US Pacific time (find local times, Zoom link, and RSVP here), hosted by CCC Vision Holder Stephanie Mines and Now What?! convener Ben Roberts, and will feature three very special guests:
Rosalinda Visolela ("Vissy") Namises
Sue Lenox
Deborah Milton
The celebration will combine stories of crisis, courage, and inspiration from these three women, expressions of gratitude and declarations of possibility from Stephanie and Ben, and a conversation among all who gather with them, with the goal of centering the voices of people from the margins who carry messages about Crisis and Courage.
From Earth Day 2019 to Earth Day 2021, CCC and Now What?! have traveled together. We celebrate that partnership and open to the new iteration through the guidance of these women and you, our participants. What has kept us going and what does the mystery call us to now, as we enter a new iteration? Be part of the possibility!
About the Guest Speakers
“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.” ~ Maya Angelou
Rosalinda Visolela ("Vissy") Namises
Vissy has met every crisis in her life with activism. She is called “the Rosa Luxemburg of Namibia.” Like Rosa Luxemburg, Vissy has been imprisoned more than once for her actions on behalf of women, vulnerable children and the land rights of her people. Wherever she is, whether it is in government where she was the Secretary General of the Congress of Democrats, or as Chief of the Kohmanin people, or when she was working as a cleaner at the age of 17, Vissy experiences crisis as an opportunity to act as a voice for the voiceless.
Sue Lennox
To Sue, OzGREEN is not a job – it is her strategic response to her deep concern for the environment and her vision to build a more sustainable, peaceful and equitable world. Sue, along with her husband Colin, has been the driving force behind OzGREEN since it’s inception.
Sue is a social entrepreneur (Social Ventures Australia Big Boost 2002) and a former high school science teacher. She has played a key role in the design and delivery of OzGREEN programs since it began in 1992. These programs have directly involved over 50,000 people from urban, regional, remote, corporate and Indigenous communities in Australia, India, Papua New Guinea, East Timor, USA, Canada and Central America.
Sue was named as one of the Most Influential People in Sydney in 2007 and 2020 NSW Senior Australian of the Year.
Deborah Milton
When an avalanche destroyed the home and took the life of her friend in Missoula, Montana, Deborah Milton moved from despair in the healing sanctuary of art, painting her way to profound spiritual realization. Fearless painting as a path to redemption, transformation and action is Deborah’s devoted response to crisis, including the one that encompasses us all now at the gateway to our reworlding. After two months in complete silence Deborah has emerged as a vehicle of blessing and union with the natural world. She is a Gaia artist; a verbal and visual story teller of humanity’s destiny as imaginal cells. Learn more about her work at https://deborahmiltonarts.com/