Climate Cafés
What is a Climate Café?
Acknowledging the rising mental health impacts of climate change—such as eco-anxiety, emotional trauma from natural disasters, and eco-distress—NH Healthy Climate created our Climate Café program with the goal of supporting the well-being of people in New Hampshire. These facilitated, community-driven discussions offer a supportive environment for participants to express climate-related concerns and collaboratively explore meaningful solutions.
Over the past year, we have collaborated with partners such as libraries, restaurants, children’s museums, land trusts, and science centers to host Climate Cafés facilitated by local healthcare professionals and trained volunteers. Special sessions have been designed to support parents and caregivers of young children—who navigate unique challenges in raising families amidst an uncertain future— see more below.
Our Climate and Health Initiative for Caregivers and Kids (CHICKs) project is creating space for parents to discuss their feelings related to raising children in a changing world. Climate Cafés are facilitated small-group gatherings for parents of young children to share thoughts and emotions on the impact of climate change on parenting and their children’s health.
Read an NHPR post on our event, “Climate Cafe makes space for parents to talk about raising kids in a warming world” by Mara Hoplamazian, here.
Interested in joining a Climate Café, hosting one at your institution, or being trained as a facilitator?
