Young people today are more socially conscious than ever before. Through school, media, and everyday discussions, they are exposed to the weight of social-ecological issues like climate change, racism, food and job security, addiction and mental illness, etc. What heavy burden it is for young people to live in a world that has been deemed "damaged" and now they are the ones responsible to fix?

Commonsense tells us not to go into a dark forest without a flashlight. To find resilience in a world of chaos, we also need to cultivate a light within us to remind us of the inherent beauty, hope, and worthiness of life. This was originally a live workshop designed for an event held for high school students. The workshop examines how our own personal experiences of landscapes can be the spark of hope that we need to keep on living compassionately and purposefully within times of uncertainty. 

Landscape experiences allow us to be moved by the world, reminding us that 1) the world is interconnected; 2) we inherently belong in it despite the labels that humans have given each other; and 3) we are more supported by nature, including our human nature, than we think.