Summery Summer Greetings
Warm and vibrant Summer greetings to all of our members and subscribers in the eeai community! This season does truly bring the entire world around us to life in every way. For these few months, landscapes are wrapped in a fresh green colour palette, the flowers in our gardens bloom (even the ones we did not know were there) and the humans scrape the last of the frost off and get moving. We hope that, you, unlike your humble newsletter writer, have been relishing in this Summer’s weather which has been, by turns, ferociously windy, occasionally wild but often glorious, and never too predictable… which is how we like it! It prevents complacency. And never has there been a time in human history when complacency is less desirable. Shifting weather patterns and a changing climate have meant that this Summer has seen some of the highest temperatures ever recorded in many parts of the world. As biodiversity comes under greater pressure from human activity, the web of life, of which we are only one part, hangs in the balance. The scientific community warns that we have even less time to act than we thought as these changes are accelerating, not slowing down.
Happily, it seems that more and more media attention on these issues is resulting in more and more awareness being raised. Activism is on the rise with huge volumes of citizens in Ireland and abroad carrying out numerous protests against government inaction. And it is my great pleasure to report that the number of members and subscribers to the eeai continues to grow as well, along with the Summer flowers, with a spike in new members between this season and last. Indeed, the eeai’s process of reformation is well and truly underway.
New eeai committee members
Continuing on from the last newsletter, there have been several changes in personnel within the eeai. After the departure of co-founders David and Ger, we are delighted to welcome the following new people to the interim committee:
– Joanne Hanrahan
– Therese O’Driscoll
Announcements
IACAT
As we mentioned in our last newsletter, we are continuing to build a close relationship with IACAT, the Irish Association of Creative Art Therapists. In May we were delighted to further this by having Matthew Henson and Robert Lewis speak at their AGM. Matthew shared some of his own experiences of engaging with nature as a client, while Robert presented the growing field of evidence and research into the benefits of both times spent outdoors and how it can enhance the therapeutic process.
Confer
Confer are hosting a second “Psychotherapy in the Natural World” workshop from September 7th – 9th in Glendalough. EEAI members and subscribers have been offered a discount when signing up. Two of our committee, Matthew Henson and Joanne Hanrahan will be speaking at the conference. For more information, check here.
In terms of our own continuing commitment to Research & Development here at the eeai, we are delighted to continue our themed series, ‘Gifts from the Natural World’, which aims to highlight some of the potential benefits that specific aspects of nature have for human beings. The third piece, Lit, by our Newsletter Coordinator Aidan, explores humanity’s relationship with fire, how it defines us and yet how little we know of it.
We hope you enjoy the Summer Newsletter, and the season which brings it. The eeai is continuing on its upward trajectory and we greatly anticipate finding ways in which we can actively empower people to effect change within their communities as well as in themselves. Thank you to all of you!