To Be Alive in the World Right Now: Climate Grief in Young Climate Organizers

• Author / Creator

  Gelderman, Gabrielle

• The following study addresses the experience of climate grief in young organizers in Edmonton, Alberta / amiswaciwâskahikan, Treaty 6. Grounded in an art-based research methodology and using a theological lens, I examined the ways climate organizers give meaning to their grief and the ways shared forms of meaning-making can lead to healing. Informed by a narrative métissage model, I designed two workshops in which nine participants developed both personal and shared narratives about their grief. An analysis of the personal narratives revealed six emotional themes used to describe and make sense of grief: anger/bitterness, fear/anxiety, guilt/self-criticism, hopelessness/despair, resolve/determination, and sorrow/hurt. Additionally, an investigation into the group process showed that by sharing their narratives, participants were able to experience a meaningful and healing connection to themselves, one another, and/or something beyond the group. It was the experience of connecting to an entity or narrative which transcended the group that provided the most enduring form of meaning, helping participants feel more able to face the pain of future loss. A discussion of these findings concluded that having access to shared spaces of mourning and meaning-making is critical for climate organizers’ healing. It was shown that without these spaces, participants were forced to cope with their grief individually, often using strategies like numbing, avoidance, and blame, all of which caused feelings of disconnection and distress.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • climate grief
  • spiritual care
  • spirituality
  • climate organizing
  • grief and loss
  • mourning
  • narrative métissage
  • meaning-making

• Graduation date

  2022

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Theological Studies

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/r3-3ct5-5596

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.