Outdoor events for mixed, dual heritage and multicultural people of colour to connect with nature and cultivate their belonging.
It’s about replanting ourselves in the universe, together.ABOUT
At Roots of Belonging, we host interdisciplinary outdoor events by and for mixed, dual heritage and multicultural people of colour to connect with nature and cultivate their belonging. We believe that being in embodied kinship with nature (what we call the “more-than-human world”) is the direct path to being at home and feeling that we belong. We are building a diverse, inclusive and equitable community that deeply understands we belong to nature.
WHY?
Belonging is an existential issue that uniquely touches all of us. Our sense of home and belonging—especially for mixed, bi-cultural and multicultural people of colour—is threatened on a global scale. In our world built for othering, we believe home-building must be a collective, imaginative act rooted in nature.
Research shows that mixed and multicultural POCs are more likely to face negative mental health outcomes and feel like they don't belong where they live. They are more likely to rely on urban areas to find their communities, even though living in urban areas exacerbates mental health outcomes. Being in nature has shown clear mental health benefits. We therefore see the outdoors as the third place: where we can replant ourselves in the universe, together in community.
We do these workshops outdoors because the natural world contains many powerful narratives and metaphors to help us rewrite our story of unbelonging in transformative ways.
OUR VALUES
Deep ecological listening
Animal joy and presence
Connection through play
Finding comfort in discomfort
Cultural curiosity and humility
Interspecies empathy
In practicing this interspecies work in the outdoors, we recognise that people come from all different contexts, with unique lived experiences and cultural lenses that inform their connection with and disconnection from nature. We prioritise the safety and support of members of our community—to be together as their most compassionate, curious, and generous selves for the benefit of all species.
UPCOMING WORKSHOPS
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