Rooted hope as resistance: Practicing active hope in higher education

In this session, we will explore how to practice Active Hope* in higher education (inspired by the work of Joanna Macy and Chris Johnstone).

By the end of the session, participants will be able to:

• Explain Active Hope (Macy) as a practice 
• Describe rooted hope as an embodied form of resistance 
• Engage in anticipatory imagination to envision social alternatives 
• Connect personal experience to broader social, ecological, or political challenges 
• Identify a concrete, ethical form of community-engaged action 

 Materials:

• Paper or notebooks 
• Pens 

* Macy, J., & Johnstone, C. (2022). Active hope: how to face the mess we’re in with unexpected resilience and creative power (Revised edition). New World Library.

About the Faculty interest group on Contemplative pedagogy 

This interest group supports faculty and teaching staff in applying or improving their application of contemplative practices in their classroom to promote well-being and a compassionate classroom, to further course goals, and to support learning.  

This interest group is for faculty and teaching staff who wish to: 

• Intentionally adopt culturally-appropriate contemplative practices in teaching and learning using a trauma-sensitive lens;  

• Explore the work of contemplative pedagogy scholars who report on the impact of evidence-based contemplative practices on students and faculty; 

• Learn from their peers; and 

• Re-energize their relationship with teaching and learning 

Audience: Faculty, teaching staff, and graduate students with teaching roles.

Note: By registering for this session, you will be added to all upcoming faculty interest group sessions. You will receive Outlook invitations for each meeting, which you may choose to accept or decline based on your interest or availability.