2.2 It Takes a Village: Fostering Hope and EnvironMental Wellness in the University Classroom through Collaboration

Simon Appolloni, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, School of the Environment           
Olivia Allen, Wellness, Fitness and Recreation Programs Coordinator, Hart House
Lois Boody, PhD Candidate, OISE, University of Toronto (also Lead TA of ENV100)
Jermane Hall, Program Coordinator, Dialogue and Expression, Hart House
Clara Kim, Team Lead, MultiFaith Centre      

Sustaining Resonance: Lessons, Insights, and Impact           

Climate anxiety and related emotions are increasingly manifest among university students. Students learning about the state of the environment encounter difficult statistics that cannot easily be grasped, generating feelings of powerlessness, fear, anxiety or grief. Add to this the zeitgeist of emotions that arise from the dark global realities of war and the rise of unchecked AI, and it is no surprise that some refer to this cohort as ‘Generation Dread’ (Wray, 2022 - see section 5 below). Indeed, research shows that when these emotions are suppressed, left unaddressed, or unchanneled, they can evoke apathy rather than desire and hope, impeding student learning and generative action.

Considering this, this session responds to two questions: (1) how can we empower students with hope and resilience to thrive in their futures, and not merely survive? (2) How can collaborations across university organizations and unions support transformative pedagogical practices and enhance student learning?

As part of ENVxxx—a first-year environmental studies class of 500 students—a group of faculty, student, and staff collaborators from across the university planned an “EnvironMental Wellness Jam,” an experiential learning event where students engaged with various arts-based, land-based, therapeutic, and reflective activities to help foster hope.

Based on the success of this collaborative endeavour, this interactive workshop will replicate the class – in miniature – so that session participants can themselves experience similar evidenced-based activities. A collaborative discussion will follow, to share and reflect on the theoretical and practical aspects that undergird the pedagogy and activities, and the benefits and best practices of collaborating across the university.