Mother Nature

Empowering mothers as agents of change toward environmental sustainability in a digital era (2021-2023)

Mother Nature - Empowering mothers as agents of change toward environmental sustainability in a digital era is a project funded by the Erasmus + project of the European Union which runs form 2021 to 2023, that builds on the Mother Nature - Empowering Mothers in their personal transformation project, previously founded in 2017

Mothers are increasingly aware of the looming climate crisis and are fearful of the world for their children. This project aims to create and share learning tools, including digital tools and resources to support mothers in becoming agents of change in their families and communities: in being proactive with strategies to initiate thinking, behavioural and cultural changes in tackling climate change.

The project results are

Through this project we want to empower mother to become agents of change towards a more ecological way of living - and we consider mothers not only adult learners, also change agents, with a great influence on their immediate communities, their families' lifestyles and children's future habits. Addressing digital transformation became more important during the COVID pandemic where mothers became even more isolated and need even more peer support and community. Through our project results, women, mothers across Europe will gain tools and competences to enhance this connectedness through digital means, and use innovative digital learning tools.

mother’s nature diary

In November 2021 we kickstarted Mother Nature - Empowering mothers as agents of change toward environmental sustainability in a digital era, building up on the Mother Nature - Empowering Mothers in their personal transformation project! We are a team of 8 women with different backgrounds, from Hungary, Italy, Slovenia and UK.

We postponed our first transnational project meeting waiting for the Covid restriction to be lifted, to be able to finally meet in person. We have been meeting weekly for over 2 months, through computer screens, to set up the frame, workplan, basic agreements, logistic details, working culture. We also informed our colleagues and national networks about our plans and set up local teams.

We finally met in February 2022 in Máriahalom, Biofalu, Hungary, for our first transnational project meeting.

It was nice to meet in person, get to know the new entries in the team, really feel like a team, exchange ideas and educational methodologies, share our own experience as mothers, start working on the planned training methodology, and complying the draft of the first planned training course. We had the chance to explore Sociocracy - our governance tool - and the Cultural Emergence framework, that builds up on Permaculture, through workshops.

In March 2022 we launched the first season of the Mother Nature podcast, in English!

In the podcast we explore the core topics of the project: the relationship between motherhood and leadership, the benefits of nature connection, the importance of having a supportive community, and many more.

Check the last episode on Spotify below!

We have now completed Season 2 and started season 3 in September 2023…and launched podcasts in Hungarian, Sloveninan and Italian too!

In the following months, project team members researched leadership, eco-anxiety, nature connection, online teaching methodologies, and other approaches. We met online to develop the four project results: our podcast, the book on motherhood, leadership and nature connection, the cards and the online course…

In June 2022 Lara Kastelic and Sara Galeotti met in Slovenia to film the videos that will constitute the content of the Online Course Leading Mother Nature Circles.

In July 2022 we run our first training: “Mothers in Nature, Empowering Mothers as Natural Leaders Creating Regenerative Cultures”!

As mothers facing the world’s ecological crises, social injustice and climate emergency, many of us are searching for an appropriately healthy response. This Mother Nature training seeks to empower us to find our own responses that feel meaningful and inspires a sense of peace, contribution and interconnection.

20 mothers gathered in Téreny, Hungary with 4 facilitators, to explore tools of leadership and nature connection to support themselves personally and collectively. See the beautiful photos below.

Interesting content and feedback has been gathered during the training to nurture the production of the book and cards, as well as designing the live calls for the online course.

During the course in Hungary, the participants were filmed by the wonderful cinematographer Cristina Panicali and we are pleased to be able to share the full length film she has put together, funded by Erasmus +. Check it out below.

In October 2022 we met again in person for our second transnational project meeting.

The meeting was an opportunity to check and monitor the work that has been done so far on project results, to dive more into the dissemination and outreach strategy and to discuss further development of the project, as well as drafting the schedule and arranging the logistic for our next international training, that will take place in Slovenia in the Spring of 2023.

In Autumn 2022 we were running and preparing different multiplier events in each partner country and launching our first pilot online course, in December.

A few pics of our Multiplier events!

Hungary August 2022

UK September 2022

Italy, October 2022

Slovenia, November 2022.

In January 2023 we launched our OnLine leading MOther Nature circles course

Following on from our successful pilot in December 2022 we launched out First UK online leading Mother Nature circles course followed by a second one in April 2023. Italian, Slovenian and Hungarian partners launched theirs during the rest of the spring and by the autumn of 2023, over 600 people had taken part, learning from online videos and a work book, accompanied by live calls, how to lead their own in person and online Mother Nature Circles using the 1st projects Mother Nature Journey Deck.

in February 2023 The Mother NaTURE tEAM Met in person in slovenia for third transnational project meeting.

Another opportunity for the team to connect, work and plan together and plan for the courses coming up ion May 2023 and track our progress completing the project outcomes. This time we met at the beautiful Homestead Tesnak (incidentally the same venue which will be hosting the Slovenian Mothers in Action Course). During our time together we did important project management and reporting work for our Funder Erasmus +. We also spent time bringing the Mothers as Natural Leaders book together, and planning the Mothers in Action course in May. There was time for celebrating progress on the cards, podcast and online courses for leading Mother Nature circles as well as opportunities to use the new card deck together to support our own mothering and project journeys.

in May 2023 We held 2 Mothers In Action Training Courses

We had 2 inspiring and nourishing Mothers In Action Trainings in Slovenia and in the UK, where we dived into our mothering journey and leadership pathways.

During the course at Applewood in the UK, the participants were filmed by the wonderful cinematographer Cristina Panicali and we are pleased to be able to share the full length film she has put together, funded by Erasmus +. Check it out below.

During the course in Slovenia, the participants were filmed by the wonderful cinematographer AGstudio Anže Grabeljšek, agstudio.si funded by Erasmus +. Check it out below.

In Septmber 2023 the Mother Nature Team Met in HUngary for the fourth and final TransNational Project Meeting.

The final meeting in Budapest, where the whole team had a joyful chance to reflect on what we had achieved, make last minute decisions, share our learning journeys and to collect the final printed copies of the new Mother Nature Leadership Card Deck. We also had time to talk about future projects and prepare togther for the last 2 months of the project.

On the 26th October 2023 the UK team had an online Free Mother Nature Workshop

At the workshop we shared about all of the project outputs - Mothers as Natural Leaders Books, Mother Nature Leadership Card Deck, Mother Nature Podcast, Leading Mother Nature Circles Course and the 2 in person Course Mothers in Nature and Mothers In Action.

The Italian, Hungarian and and Slovenian Teams also had online events in October and November 2023 to do the same.

On the 14th November 2023 we had a final In Person Free Mother Nature Workshop

We had the work shop at De Koffie Pot in Hereford, UK. We also shared about the 4 project results and the 2 course and also had a book launch for the Mothers As Natural Leaders Book where Looby Macnamara one of the co-authors did a reading from it. There was also time to have some Mother Nature sharing circles, cake and lunch as well as time to connect and network with each other and celebrate the success of the whole Mother Nature Project

The other project Partners also had in person events in September and October 2023. Here are some phots from theirs where they also shared all about the project and the results.

Italy

Slovenia

End of The Erasmus + Funding Nov 2023

And here we are at the end of the latest chapter of the Mother Nature - Empowering mothers as agents of change toward environmental sustainability in a digital era project funded by the Erasmus + project which ran from November 2021 to November 2023. We created all of the products we wanted to which you can see below….but this isn’t the end of the story!

To keep up to date with all that comes next join our newsletter as this isn’t the end of the Mother Nature Project!

Mothers As Natural Leaders Book

When Looby , Emma, Jana, Agi and Sara commenced the latest Mother Nature Project back in 2021 they knew they were going to be part of writing a book about leadership, nature connection and mothering and after 2 years of careful nurturing and crafting by the 5 authors, we are really excited to announce it is finally ready to share with the world!

THE BOOK IS AVAILABLE AS A FREE DOWNLOADABLE PDF

If you would like to get a copy, all you need to do is sign up to the Mother Nature Newsletter and you get the link to download it.

Leading Mother Nature Circles Course

You can still sign up for the online portion of the FREE leading Mother Nature Circles Course. There will be live calls scheduled in 2024 in English and others coming in Italian, Hungarian Slovenian (Dates TBC) Click below to find out more

Mother Nature Leadership Card Deck

Slide show of the Mother Nature Leadership Card deck below and find out more and see the Guide book to the deck click below

The Mother Nature Podcast

The Mother Nature Podcast is hosted by Lara, Looby, Jana and Cecilia. Together as the Mother Nature team, we are on a mission to promote conscious motherhood and to create a toolbox for self-support and self-exploration. With Podcasts in English, Italian, Slovenian and Hungarian to listen to. Click below to find out more