Tackling climate change within your community can be challenging. Park People partnered with Shawsti, a grassroots organization for Bengali seniors who frequent Dentonia Park in Toronto, to lead workshops on this crucial issue. Here’s what Nadira Tabassum, president of Shawsti, learned from the experience.

“Shawsti” is a Bengali word meaning peace and comfort. It’s also the name of a walking group for Bengali seniors that grew into a community group, helping to maintain connections within the Bengali community during the pandemic. Based in Toronto’s Taylor Massey and Oakridge Neighborhood Improvement Area, Shawsti has received ongoing support from Park People through our Sparking Change program and the TD Park People Grant.

Many of those involved in Shawsti’s programs are from Bangladesh, a country heavily impacted by climate change. As anxiety and fear about this global challenge grew within the community, the group’s leaders turned to Park People to help develop new initiatives. True to their name, they were determined to bring a sense of ‘peace and comfort’ back to their community.

Carbon Conversations TO, a volunteer-led group focused on helping individuals navigate their feelings about climate change, played a crucial role. Brianna, who is involved with both Park People and Carbon Conversations TO, facilitated two climate change workshops for Shawsti’s members.

Addressing Emotions Around Climate Change

Carbon Conversations TO prioritizes acknowledging and addressing the difficult emotions surrounding climate change. Nadira Tabassum, President of Shawsti, observed that natural disasters are increasingly frequent, leaving her community feeling “concerned, fearful, anxious, confused, and helpless.”

These intense emotions often lead people to avoid discussing climate change. That’s why starting conversations by acknowledging these feelings is essential.

Also, being in a group setting helps people feel less afraid about addressing climate change, and the isolating emotions that come with it.

One of the first exercises Shwasti participants engaged in was writing down their feelings about climate change. This helps people feel empowered and motivated rather than paralyzed by fear and uncertainty.

From Individual Action to Collective Change

Dealing with difficult emotions in a supportive group sets the stage for what actions are needed to move toward a better future.
In the Carbon Conversations TO model, individual and collective action are bound together. Individual action inspires collective action, and collective action inspires individual action. It’s a virtuous cycle that is set in motion once negative feelings are shared and managed.

The workshop covered the basics of carbon dioxide and its role in climate change, revealing how individual choices—like air travel and meat consumption—affect the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. With this knowledge, participants were encouraged to consider what changes they could make to align with their hopeful vision for the future.

Again, emotions play a big role as we think about climate actions. So, the workshop not only asks “what changes could you make?” but also “what would be hard about this change?” and “what would you enjoy?”

The Blame Game is a Losing Game

Nadira underscored that the workshop was successful because no one felt judged or blamed. A space free from blame allows participants to engage openly and have meaningful conversations about climate change.

Research supports this approach, showing that when people are comfortable discussing climate change within their community, they are more likely to align with scientific views over time.

On the second day of the workshop, the group chose to focus on consumption and waste. In an area where guilt and shame often arise, participants were encouraged to avoid labeling their habits as simply good or bad. Instead, the emphasis was on understanding the feelings behind their purchasing decisions.

For a community group like Shwasti, it’s perhaps easier to shift from a focus on personal sacrifice to a new idea of happiness based on the collective. 

The Proof is in the Spreading

Inspired by the workshops, Shwasti hosted a festival in the park and a local climate march to educate their community about climate change.

They were also planning a door-to-door campaign to spark further conversations with their neighbours.

The workshop helped the group move from fear and anxiety to action by enabling them to gain a sense of power and control in their lives. This is what Carbon Conversations calls “active hope,” and it’s a powerful term.

Active hope begins by acknowledging the context we’re in around climate change, even if it’s difficult and painful. From there, it’s about thinking about the future you want – a stable climate, thriving communities built on justice and equity, and all that good stuff. Then, it’s about taking action toward that future.

Indeed, there is nothing simple about having active hope in a warming world. By leveraging the power of community to inspire collective action helps us address our fears. As the workshop demonstrates, this is key to taking control over our own “peace and comfort” in the face of climate change.