Activism burnout focus of workshop

BELFAST – The Gaelwynne Institute is offering Sustaining the Self, a workshop for environmental professionals, activists and students.

The workshop will run from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 13, at the Unitarian Universalist Church.

The session is designed to help participants develop skills to recognize and address burnout or other responses – such as depression, grief, anger or anxiety – they may have had to environmental degradation. It will explore collective and personal visions for sustainability, recognizing the current and past contributions of participants. The group also will work to develop professional networks with others who share similar concerns for the environment.

This experiential workshop, weaving science and psychology, will be facilitated by Tony Sarkis and Kelley Rambo.

Sarkis, a former assistant director of the master of science program in environmental management and policy at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York, is a trained facilitator with the Northwest Earth Institute. He specializes in working with businesses to encourage sustainable, whole-systems-based business practices.

Rambo is a naturalist and registered counselor specializing in loss-grief-transitions and nature-based counseling. She taught environmental education for more than 15 years and is the founding director of the Gaelwynne Institute Inc.

The workshop is co-sponsored by the Belfast Unitarian Universalist Church. To register, send an e-mail to kelleyrambo@ antiochne.edu or phone 322-5777. The cost of the workshop is $45, with a student or low-income fee of $30.