The Shift
A Learning Exchange Series
THE SHIFT is a series of learning exchanges with scholars, activists, and community organizers that is intended to support The Nature Conservancy and the Cities Network in their efforts to build equitable, impactful, and sustainable conservation programs. The series aims to create a greener, more just, and climate-resilient future by supporting the efforts of Network members to: build and strengthen relationships; learn from projects and partnerships across the country; align equity and justice principles within The Nature Conservancy; more effectively and equitably engage local leadership, community-based organizations, and frontline communities Cities Network members and other practitioners joining these conversations will enhance their learning by the examples of the programs and initiatives they share and the values they bring.
SESSION 5
An African Perspective on the Climate Crisis: Screening of the Documentary, The Ants and the Grasshopper
October 19, 2022
The session is centered upon the documentary The Ants and the Grasshopper (Dir. Raj Patel, 2021). We screened the documentary and engaged in a discussion regarding its focus on global warming from an indigenous African perspective. We were joined in our conversation by guests who are intimately engaged in similar work. Our discussion of the film included small group as well as collective exchanges that emphasized its relation to the specific engagement and expertise of the Cities Network.
SESSION 4
A Global Critique of the Climate Crisis: A History of Now
September 21, 2020
This session involved a conversation with prominent national and international scholar-practitioners in the field of racial and climate justice. The focus of this session was about how to develop organizational and community capacity in order to address the global challenges, and the urgencies, of now.
SESSION 3
Sovereignty, Conservancy: A Hands-On Approach
August 17, 2022
This panel centered community practitioners engaged in local, national and international work. The focus was on land stewardship and conservancy from a longer historical perspective, one that recognizes the need for community control and sovereignty of marginalized and disempowered working-class, native, and communities of color.
SESSION 2
Indigenous Spiritual Traditions and Ecological Consciousness
June 15, 2022
This panel is organized around non-Western approaches to spirituality and ecological consciousness. The focus of the discussion was on native and indigenous forms of knowledge production and wisdom practice that offer an alternative to the materialist and “resource” approach of Western science.
SESSION 1
Creating A New Practice: Committing to Economic, Racial, and Climate Justice
May 18,2022
This event is intended as a national public dialogue to help facilitate a rethinking of the city in a time of planetary climate emergencies. This panel is intended to hold a space for imagining and putting into practice a commitment to climate justice that centers racial justice and equity.
Contact us for program inquiries.