The Montshire Museum of Science will host Climate Cafés for Parents
NORWICH, VT - The Montshire Museum of Science will host two climate cafés for parents on December 2, 2023 at 10:00 am and 1:00 pm. Climate cafés are facilitated small-group gatherings where participants are provided with a safe space to share their thoughts and emotions around the threat posed by climate change. These two events will uniquely focus on the mental health of parents, who are faced with the challenge of raising their children in the shadow of an uncertain and changing climate.
The climate cafés will be co-facilitated by Vermont resident Elizabeth Bechard, Senior Policy Analyst of Moms Clean Air Force and author of Parenting in a Changing Climate: Tools for Cultivating Resilience, Taking Action, and Practicing Hope in the Face of Climate Change, and Maria Finnegan, Director of Communications for New Hampshire Children’s Trust.
“As we grapple with what it means to raise children in a changing climate, creating community spaces for parents to connect with others who care matters more than ever,” states Ms. Bechard. “Climate change increasingly threatens every aspect of our well-being, and for parents, it can be acutely painful to wonder what the world will be like for our children in the future.”
The Montshire Museum of Science recognizes it has an important role to play in our region as a community convener, bringing people together to talk about critical issues at the intersection of science and society. “Climate change is real, it is here, and it is already affecting families in our area,” shares Lara Litchfield-Kimber, Executive Director of the Montshire. “Gatherings like these climate cafés will go a long way toward empowering our community by helping people create connections and by inspiring collective action.”
The plan for piloting parent-focused climate cafés developed as an initiative of CHICKS (Climate and Health Initiative for Children in Kearsarge & Sunapee), a community-engaged and cross-sector program of the nonprofit New Hampshire Healthcare Workers for Climate Action. CHICKS is currently implementing a program to increase awareness of the impact of climate on health in K-5 children and their caregivers at four Boys & Girls Club sites in the Kearsarge region. Their collaborators include the Center for Advancing Rural Health Equity at Dartmouth Health and Colby-Sawyer College. Additional climate cafés are being planned for 2024.
Pre-registration is required, as space is limited in each climate café session. Free on-site childcare is available. Participating families receive free museum admission for the day. The Montshire Museum of Science is located at 1 Montshire Road in Norwich, VT.
To register, visit: https://mms.formstack.com/forms/climatecafes.
About The Montshire Museum of Science
Recently named “Best Museum” in the 2023 Valley News Reader’s Choice Awards, the Montshire Museum forges and empowers lifelong learners through engagement with science.
Located in beautiful Norwich, VT, the Montshire Museum of Science is open seven days a week from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. Daily admission is $20 for adults and $17 for children ages 2-17. The Museum is free for members and children under the age of two. Memberships are available. Visit montshire.org or call 802-649-2200 for more information.
The Montshire Museum of Science is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that is supported by admission, membership, grants, and charitable contributions.
Media Contact:
Lara Litchfield-Kimber, Executive Director
Phone: 802.649.2200 x224
Email address: lara.litchfield-kimber@montshire.org