Posts by Tamzin Ractliffe
The Future Unfolding: The people and the stories remaking the world
As the world grapples with the existential threat of climate change, a groundswell of young leaders is rising – audacious, impassioned, uncompromising and respectful in their pursuit of a sustainable future. These young climate activists are not just sounding the alarm; they are actively forging new pathways, reshaping narratives, pioneering solutions, and catalysing societal transformation…
Read MoreResilience Revisited 04: Cognitive Obsolescence and Resilient, Sustainable Futures: A Contradiction in Human Progress
Obsolescence noun the process of becoming obsolete or outdated and no longer used; becoming antiquated, out of date, old-fashioned, no longer in general use, or no longer useful, or the condition of being in such a state. “computers are infamous for their rapid obsolescence” Cognitive adjective relating to relating to the mental process involved in…
Read MoreResilience Revisited 03. Framing a theoretical concept: Strategic Hope
“Hope is not a lottery ticket you can sit on the sofa and clutch, feeling lucky. It is an axe you break down doors with in an emergency. Hope should shove you out the door, because it will take everything you have to steer the future away from endless war, from the annihilation of the…
Read MoreResilience Revisited 02. Dissonance as Conscience: Navigating the Path Between Ecological Integrity and Everyday Life
It has become routine to remark ‘if you’re not sitting uncomfortably in today’s world, you’re really sick’. It is, paradoxically, comforting (not only for me, I have discovered) to meet more and more people who are wrestling with a growing sense of cognitive dissonance as they sense the gap between their daily behaviours and their…
Read MoreRedefining philanthropy for global collective resilience: Embracing the polycrisis paradigm
The field of polycrisis philanthropy is emerging, though less rapidly than the polycrisis itself. Distinct from climate philanthropy, polycrisis philanthropy recognises the interconnected nature of global challenges, from climate disasters and health pandemics to economic inequality and political instability. At the heart of the concept of the polycrisis is the understanding that we face not…
Read MoreResilience Revisited 01: The Great Retraction. Why we must resile if we want to shape a resilient future
Last month’s UK Government announcement confirming the granting of hundreds of new oil and gas licenses in the UK was defended by the Prime Minister as “entirely consistent” with net-zero commitments and important for the UK’s resilience (despite much evidence to the contrary). The PM also defended his use of a private jet to travel to Scotland as “the…
Read More#BuildBackFuture-Fit: Resilience at Work
Future-Fit and the Impact Trust held the first “Resilience at Work” focus group conversations with Pioneer Companies last week. This collaborative effort seeks to explore how resilience is defined and operationalised in the context of people at work, collectively, and what intentional (formal) and spontaneous (accidental or informal) practices are understood to be supportive of…
Read MoreInspiring hope, igniting resilience: Pedagogies to build socio-ecological literacy and transform worldviews
My souvenir is two cupsFull of creek water.I couldn’t take it with meSo, I tipped it over my head,Re-baptised myselfBecause I’m going to be differentFrom now on. (cited in Gray & Pigott, 2018) The notion of individuals as planetary or environmental citizens – citizens who have a right to a sustainable planet – is not…
Read MoreThe magic of together: Join us for creativity in theCollab this Earth Day
“Many ideas grow better when transplanted into another mind than the one where they sprang up.” – Oliver Wendell theCollab is an immersive multi-dimensional platform that strives to take collaborative engagement and learning to a new dimension. It aims to create f a ‘metaverse’ of solution seekers, social and environmental / climate activitists, education providers…
Read More2020 in Review: A year of paradox
“Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree today” (Martin Luther). 2020 was a difficult year, one full of uncertainty, suffering and endings. But it was also a year that encouraged renewal; an exceptional year that forced people and organisations across the world to…
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