How Nature Can Heal Us with Marlon Patrice
Join Marlon Patrice, founder of We Go Outside Too in conversation as we explore ‘Safe and Just space‘; what does this mean, how can we create more equitable & accessible spaces for different communities? How can we nurture these spaces & communities ourselves?
We host this conversation during our second Co-Creation Week where we ask “How can our neighbourhood become a home to thriving people, in a thriving place, whilst respecting the wellbeing of all people and the health of the whole planet?”
During this Neighbourhood Doughnut Co-creation Week #2 we discover, play with, confront, co-design and advocate for what it means to start exploring this question. Building on from the grounding of Co-creation Week #1 and Down To Earth, learning from soil and the land beneath our feet about healing the planetary boundaries and being part of healthy systems, during this second week of four we will focus on delving more deeply – both practically and metaphorically – into the idea of the safe and just space for humanity.
There is no need to book for this session or any of the sessions during this Co-Creation week, please just turn up.
About Marlon Patrice and We Go Outside Too
Marlon set up We Go Outside Too as a way of dealing with grief after losing his son due to knife crime. Marlon, already an active runner found solace and connection with nature. Whilst sharing his experiences, he soon realised that many people from communities across Birmingham had no access to open and green spaces and from here We Go Outside was born. You can read this recent article in BabMag to find out more and also follow We Go Outside Too on Instagram here.
About Braiding Sweetgrass
This conversation with Marlon also draws upon some of the writing and wisdom by Robin Wall Kimmerer.
Our first neighbourhood reading circle has been taking a deep dive into the experiences, learnings and writings of Robin Wall Kimmerer in her book Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge And The Teachings of Plants, published in 2013.
Drawing on her life as an indigenous scientist, a mother, and a woman, in Braiding Sweetgrass Robin Wall Kimmerer shows how other living beings — asters and goldenrod, strawberries and squash, salamanders, algae, and sweetgrass — offer us gifts and lessons, even if we’ve forgotten how to hear their voices.
In this reading circle we hope to collectively explore themes of nature, care, intergenerational learning, gratitude, story, myths, regenerative economics, rituals, language, land, regeneration, gift economies and much more.
The journey will encompass nourishing conversation, craft workshops, guest speakers and most importantly a chance for everyone who joins to share their own reflections, experiences and stories related to these themes.
