Tools

One of the methods proposed is the creation of an adaptation plan: a personal tool based on a vision of a desirable future. Although this plan is developed individually, it is created with the support of the group, enabling a concrete transition from reflection to action. Eco-Motion's approach draws on several complementary disciplines: foresight, acceptance therapy, the work of researcher Panu Pihkala, and mind mapping.

Participants

Faced with eco-emotions and feelings of powerlessness, the journey is often uneven and bumpy. However, by learning to tolerate the ups and downs and developing self-regulation strategies, people are able to maintain their commitment over the long term, with greater consistency and enjoyment. The support offered also includes empathic communication, particularly non-violent communication, and integration into a support network. Participants may experience great pain or difficulty in expressing their deepest needs. The starting point is always their own perception of a desirable future.

The time horizon for projections generally depends on age: for Generation Z, it is often between five and ten years. They are then asked key questions: "What would you like to see happen? Can you describe it?" The more a person is able to imagine that this future is achievable, the more inclined they are to move towards it.

Challenges of the work today

Many young people feel discouraged when faced with a lack of tangible results from their climate actions. While there are ways to re-motivate them, a major obstacle remains: the current system, which limits the momentum for action. This raises the following question: "What conditions are limiting your desire to build this desirable future?" The challenges of this work lie as much in projecting ourselves into the future as in how we experience the transformations of the present. Eco-Motion's approach explores visions of a desirable future, possible actions to achieve it, and obstacles to be overcome. One of the innovative aspects is taking the time to identify and work on these barriers to project implementation. The collective also works with emotions, a field that is still poorly documented in group dynamics. Each person experiences and perceives the future in their own way, which makes the themes addressed non-linear.

As for taking action, there are many ways to do so, and they do not follow any standardized model. The team adopts a psychoeducational approach. Some participants choose to change jobs, start retraining, or decide to do less but better, focusing on meaningful projects. Increased awareness can also generate a sense of urgency to want to do everything at once. In these cases, support helps to improve communication, refocus energy, and reevaluate available resources. A question is asked: "What is your real vision, and how much energy do you have available?" The goal is to bring projects back to a human scale, recognizing that we cannot move as fast as technology.

What emerges from the work conducted by youth, on desirable futures?

The project had a large outreach amongst many youths. Among the benefits that have been shared by youth, are that of feeling surrounded by others, and of finding strength in understanding their limits and the limits of their action in our systems. This can be helpful in reconnecting with possible actions to take at a human scale, and visualizing these in a more realistic and achievable manner.

The goal is to maintain a healthier, more sustainable commitment that is aligned with one's capabilities. Éco-Motion works throughout Quebec, not only with young people, but also in CEGEPs, universities, NPOs, businesses, and with transition workers.

What comes next ?

A notebook is currently being developed. It will include an adaptation plan structured around three stages: current state, path, and desired state, with the means (or "vehicles") to achieve it. As a specialist in eco-emotions, Eco-Motion considers them to be valuable indicators for analyzing how emotions influence actions. Everyone has a predisposition to eco-anxiety, even if testimonials reflect only about 1% of this reality. All emotions can be linked to the current polycrisis. Guilt, for example, takes on a new function when placed in an ecological context.