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Elders and the Environment

Tuesday Nov 10 2009

By Shae Hadden

I attended the David Suzuki Foundation's first Elders for the Environment Forum today in Vancouver, Canada. The event drew 200+ people, including Elder representatives from several First Nations and concerned 'older' citizens from Canada and the U.S. Following are some of the highlights from an inspiring talk given by Miles Richardson, former Grand Chief of the Haida Nation and a member of the board of directors of the David Suzuki Foundation.

"We are all in the same canoe, and we have to begin paddling together in the same direction."
"An Elder is very importantly and universally recognized as a knowledge-keeper. But we look to them for more than that. We depend on them for wisdom, the distillation of that knowledge gained from living and experieneces, and we depend on them to pass that on from generation to generation.We look to them for guidance when we face the huge challenges that life puts in front of us. We look to them for validation when we are doing what we believe is right when others can't understand or cannot see what we see."
"Being an Elder is not about age. You don't become an Elder because you've grown old. An Elder is someone whose integrity I trust and whose wisdom I respect. That must be earned and real."
"Talk is good. Actions are stronger."
Overheard at the 4th World Wilderness Congress: "Economic growth is an interpretation. The environment is a matter of survival."
Wisdom from an Elder given to Miles when he was complaining about the loss of his native culture: "Before you take another step forward, take a step back and listen."

Check back later this week for more highlights from the speakers at this event.

Written by eldering at News

Tagged with: david_suzuki_foundation elders_for_the_environment integrity respect wisdom

How can we talk it through?

Wednesday Mar 12 2008

By Shae Hadden | Bio

The premise being that we CAN talk it through…

This is the question that epitomizes the possibility that the World Café represents. It is the question that informs Anne Dosher, the 80-something ‘Elder’ of the World Café and Board member of the World Café Community Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to developing and disseminating this and other innovative dialogue approaches. I recently had the privilege of interviewing this gracious, generous and engaging lady—the human embodiment of what I imagined the World Café phenomena itself to be—with a few inquiries of my own.[Read More]

Written by eldering at Wisdom in Action

Tagged with: culture dialogue multigenerational respect world_cafe

The World Cafe

Tuesday Mar 11 2008

By Shae Hadden | Bio

Conversations can change the world. When we speak openly about what matters most to us, we can build authentic relationships. We can tap into the wisdom and collective intelligence we need to address our problems. We can create the future together.

I’ve been excited in the last few weeks to learn about The World Café through conversations with Juanita Brown, co-founder of the World Café and Anne Dosher, who at age 85 serves as the “elder” of this global movement to create cultures of dialogue.[Read More]

Written by eldering at Fearless Aging

Tagged with: conversation dialogue generosity inclusiveness respect the_world_cafe