Alana Chavez, Author at The Wellbeing Project

AMPLIFIER ART – Aaron Huey and The Wellbeing Project AMPLIFIER ART – Aaron Huey and The Wellbeing Project

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In early 2021, in solidarity with artists and in partnership with Amplifier Art and in direct response to the COVID-19 pandemic, The Wellbeing Project launched an open call for art that promotes wellbeing and social change work for us all, and especially for changemakers responding at the frontlines (nurses, community workers, teachers and more).

All artwork has been judged by senior members of the arts community including Nancy Spector (Chief Curator, Guggenheim) and Vicente Todoli (Former Director, Tate Modern). It has been screened for appropriateness for mental health and wellbeing messaging by key members of the health community such as Dr Richard Davidson (Founder and Head of the Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin-Madison) and Dr Michele Barry (Director of the Center for Innovation in Global Health, Stanford University).

The winning awards were funded entirely by philanthropists from a pool of $35K. They are available below as free downloads for anyone to print and share.

ESPAÑOL

A principios de 2021, en solidaridad con los artistas y en asociación con Amplifier Art y en respuesta directa a la pandemia de COVID-19, The Wellbeing Project lanzó una convocatoria abierta para el arte que promueve el bienestar y el trabajo de cambio social para todos nosotros, y especialmente para los agentes de cambio que responden en primera línea (enfermeras, trabajadores comunitarios, maestros y más).

Todas las obras de arte han sido evaluadas por miembros de alto nivel de la comunidad artística, como Nancy Spector (conservadora jefe del Guggenheim) y Vicente Todoli (antiguo director de la Tate Modern). La idoneidad de los mensajes sobre salud mental y bienestar ha sido examinada por miembros clave de la comunidad sanitaria, como el Dr. Richard Davidson (fundador y director del Center for Healthy Minds, Universidad de Wisconsin-Madison) y la Dra. Michele Barry (directora del Center for Innovation in Global Health, Universidad de Stanford).

Los premios ganadores fueron financiados íntegramente por filántropos con una dotación de 35.000 dólares. Están disponibles a continuación como descargas gratuitas para que cualquiera pueda imprimirlos y compartirlos.

TONE Installation – Janet Cardiff & George Bures MillerTONE Installation – Janet Cardiff & George Bures Miller

Artists information

“Toning” is a therapeutic practice where the natural vibrations of the human voice are thought to induce healing. I have found that using my voice in this way in the mornings, even for 5 minutes, allows me to feel calmer as I start my day. This experience gave us the idea to create a ‘healing’ exhibition space in which the audience is physically surrounded by a virtual choir creatively using their voices. Since starting it the artwork has been constantly changing. One person’s voice layered over another through time, as one singer responds to the recorded mix of tones and experimental melodies of the others.

Location: Deusto – Salón de Grados

Date: May 31st – June 3rd

Time: May 31st: 6pm – 9.30pm

June 1st, 2nd: 10am – 2.30 pm + 5pm – 7pm

June 3rd: 10am – 2.30 pm

As you enter the exhibition space, you may sit or stand and just listen to the mix of voices emanating from an array of 24 speakers or ‘sing’ along and improvise to the recordings live in the space. If you would like to participate even more by adding your own voice to the recording please let the attendant know and you will be directed to the microphones in the recording area. During the Wellbeing Summit our sound engineer will be working on-site to record the new voices which will then be added to this continually changing and expanding artwork.

ESPAÑOL

“Toning” es una práctica terapéutica donde las vibraciones naturales de la voz humana inducen la sanación. He descubierto que usando mi voz de esta manera en las mañanas, incluso por 5 minutos, me permite sentirme con más calma al comenzar el día. Esta experiencia nos da una idea de crear un espacio de exposición “curativo” en el que el público está rodeado físicamente por un coro virtual que utiliza sus voces de forma creativa. Desde que empezó, la obra de arte ha estado cambiando constantemente. La voz de una persona se superpone a la de la otra a lo largo del tiempo, mientras un cantante responde a la mezcla de tonos grabados y a las melodías experimentales de los demás.

Al entrar al espacio de la exposición, podrá sentarse o permanecer de pie y limitarse a escuchar la mezcla de voces que emana desde un conjunto de 24 altavoces o “cantar” e improvisar con las grabaciones en directo en el espacio. Si desea participar aún más añadiendo su propia voz a la grabación, hágaselo saber al asistente y se le dirigirá a los micrófonos de la zona de grabación. Durante el evento, nuestro ingeniero de sonido trabajará in situ para grabar las nuevas voces que se añadirán a esta obra de arte en continuo cambio y expansión.

The Wellbeing Summit for Social Change - Acting Responsibly for our Planet The Wellbeing Summit for Social Change - Acting Responsibly for our Planet

INTRODUCTION

Recommendations from our pro bono partner, UreCulture

At The Wellbeing Project, we understand the urgent need to preserve our natural environment to protect the health and wellbeing of current and future generations. We believe that the health and wellbeing of the planet is intrinsically connected to the health and well-being of all people, and that social and economic sustainable development will only succeed if environmental components achieve their stability such that communities around the world can experience a good quality of life.

We are committed to planting a seed to bring sustainability to the core of our objectives, and are beginning the process of embedding this into event planning together with the pro bono consultancy of one of our specialist partners, UreCulture. For our first edition we are carrying out an audit of our carbon and circularity footprint, which will help build our future sustainability plan. The results of the audit will be presented transparently after the Summit and donations in compensation for this impact will be carried out. Our sustainability plan will include a detailed sustainability footprint audit, including creative and innovative solutions to reduce our negative impact and a reporting process which involves carbon circularity and social footprints. Our ambition for TWBS24 is to align with best practice in sustainability from the outset of our planning.

HOW CAN YOU MINIMIZE YOUR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT?

WHILST IN BILBAO

Intercity Travel

The venues for the conference are all close together, so most journeys should be possible by walking, for most participants. If you do need to use a vehicle at some point, please choose public transport rather than taxis where you can (although of course, we understand this will not be possible for everyone).

Your Hotel Stay

– One of the largest parts of a hotel’s carbon footprint is the daily washing of towels and linen. Ask your hotel for their policy on this, and whether they have the option to only wash things on request rather than washing everything every day by default. You can also leave the “Do Not Disturb” sign on your door when out to prevent unnecessary washing.

– Bring your own toiletries, and leave those mini bottles of soap and shampoo in the room! Hotels generate huge amounts of waste from single-use toiletries.

– Be sensible in your use of energy and water, like you would at home. It’s tempting to take extra-long showers, leave lights and appliances on etc. when we’re staying away from home, but the impact on the climate is still the same.

– Ask your hotel about their environmental policies and make it clear these issues are important to you as a guest.

DURING THE WELLBEING SUMMIT

Food and Drink

– Look for food options that are lower-carbon where possible – that means reducing meat and dairy, and seeking out less processed and more locally-produced food where possible.

– Avoid the use of single-use plastics and avoid buying plastic water bottles. 80 percent of plastic water bottles end up in landfills and it takes up to 1,000 years for every single bottle to decompose. Please bring your own water bottle and refill as necessary.

HOW CAN YOU HELP OUR PLANET?

Compensating for your Climate Impact

Rather than buying conventional “carbon offsets” (which can vary hugely in reliability and impact), donating to the programmes below will make a positive climate difference in a fast enough timeframe to help with the climate crisis. These won’t make your emissions disappear, but they will do something useful to help compensate for the climate impact of your flight.

In the non-profit industry a suggested benchmark for donations would be USD 70-USD 140 per tonne of CO2e. You can check the CO2e impact of your flight through this website.

1/ Cutting Fossil Fuel Use

ClientEarth is an environmental charity with a unique approach. They use existing environmental laws to challenge polluting projects – and win. In the last few years their actions have helped stop the construction of three huge coal plants in Poland and Germany and a giant gas plant in the UK, amongst a range of other victories. You can read more about ClientEarth here and donate here.

Solar Aid work to help communities in Africa ‘leapfrog’ over dirty energy and build a clean energy future. Their mission is to provide solar lighting to every home, school and clinic in Africa by 2030, replacing millions of polluting kerosene lamps and preventing the need for new fossil-fuelled power stations. They don’t simply hand out solar lights – they work with local partners to build knowledge, capacity and skills in communities with the aim of creating a long-term sustainable solar lighting market that can thrive without outside support. You can read more about SolarAid here and donate here.

2/ Defending and Preserving Forests:

Did you know… nearly all forests across the globe are inhabited? For nearly 30 years the Forest Peoples Programme (FPP) have worked alongside Indigenous organisations and forest communities to advocate for their rights.

The FPP believes the smartest way to protect the world’s forests is by investing in the people who have managed them for millennia, and have a history of scoring crucial victories in defence of their lands. The FPP’s Forest Visions Partnership fund provides money directly to Indigenous groups and communities whose lands are under threat— to help secure their rights, protect their cultures, and defend their territories. Support the Forest Visions Partnership fund here. Please note, FPP can only accept donations from foundations or individuals.

3/ Supporting Regenerative Agriculture:

The AgroEcology Fund supports inspiring projects around the world that are changing the way we produce food. Industrial agriculture is a huge source of emissions – not just from fuel use and livestock, but nitrous emissions from fertilisers and massive amounts of carbon due to short-sighted soil management. Agroecology (combining traditional methods of farming with appropriate renewable technology) doesn’t just prevent emissions in the short term, it has the potential to pull huge amounts of carbon back into the soil in the longer term, while supporting local livelihoods and sustainably feeding the world. Read more about the Agroecology Fund here and donate here. Based partly on research by the Gallery Climate Coalition.

This list of programmes above is based partly on research by the Gallery Climate Coalition and Danny Chivers.

Create Conversations Around Our Planetary Crisis During the Summit:

Talk to people about the climate crisis and how it relates to the work being done at the summit. It’s probably the greatest threat to our collective wellbeing on this planet right now, including the huge mental and emotional toll it is taking on all of us. It can sometimes feel hard to raise as a topic but it’s vital that we do, otherwise we will not take the collective action needed to avert disaster. Look for ways to start a conversation about how we can all urgently reduce the carbon emissions from our work and practice, including ways to make The Wellbeing Summit for Social Change lower-carbon in the future.

ABOUT OUR FUTURE SUSTAINABILITY PLAN AND THESE RECOMMENDATIONS

The consultancy work relating to our future sustainability plan, the 2021 environmental audit and these recommendations have been developed by our pro bono partner UreCulture who work at the intersection of the arts and sustainability.

UreCulture’s goal is to support the cultural and non-profit industries align with sustainability best practice, whilst also maximizing the potential of the arts to catalyse change for a better future for the planet and its people. UreCulture works with Danny Chivers who is an environmental expert and carbon analyst.

In collaboration with Vuslat Foundation, Generous Listening will be put forward at The Wellbeing Summit as one of the essential elements of wellbeing and a way to deepen our connection with ourselves, each other, and nature.

Generous listening is the practice of listening, to oneself, to one another, and to nature – with an open mind, with compassion, and without prejudice or agenda. It is the ability and willingness to expand our horizons, reach insight and enlightenment, and form empathy and understanding across deep divides.

Generous listening arrives from the practice of taking oneself out of one’s comfort zone, knowingly exiting the echo chambers or ideological bunkers in which we exist, and making an active effort to listen to opinions, ideas, and experiences that may challenge us.

Generous listening leads to authentic connections and revelation. Through listening generously and working together to cultivate a culture of generous listening, we can transform the way we experience the world – Vuslat Foundation.

HOW IS GENEROUS LISTENING INTEGRAL TO WELLBEING?

We believe that listening plays a key role in the creation of a culture of wellbeing. A healthy relationship with self is essential for sustaining relationships with others and this in turn also affects the way we connect with our work and the world around us.

Wellbeing is the experience of wholeness and interconnectedness and derives from a lifelong journey of inner work and conscious and intentional choices.

Kindness, vulnerability, connection, and community can only be cultivated through the three pillars of generous listening: listening deeply to oneself, listening genuinely to one another, and listening sincerely to nature.

Through learning to listen deeply to ourselves, we can cultivate better mental health. Be it through self-compassionate approaches like spiritual practices, meditation, and journaling, or through seeking external guidance through therapy and more, we can embark on both self-development and self-acceptance. Only through some degree of self-awareness and inner peace, can we achieve compassion and empathy towards others. By opening the space and holding the intention to listen generously to one another, we overcome the modern epidemic of loneliness, forge authentic connections, and find paths to bridging cultural or political differences. Finally, we must listen generously to nature in order to value, preserve and seek refuge in the world’s natural environment which nourishes us and gives us life. Our common need and desire for security, safety, and belonging can be attained through cultivating a culture of generous listening.

HOW IS GENEROUS LISTENING INTEGRAL TO THE WORK OF SOCIAL CHANGE, GOVERNMENT, ARTS AND BUSINESS LEADERS TO CREATE LASTING SOLUTIONS AND SYSTEMATIC CHANGE?

Social change and inner wellbeing are deeply interconnected. Changemakers who dedicate their lives to working on some of the world’s most pressing issues must similarly demonstrate leadership in listening generously, both to themselves, to others, and to nature. To drive meaningful social change, changemakers must have an acute ability to listen to the needs and experiences of the communities around them. To consistently display the adequate courage and compassion to respond to the challenges of others, they must first and foremost possess a state of inner wellbeing. Through being able to listen compassionately and intuitively to oneself, changemakers will then be able to step outside of themselves to understand the viewpoints of others, gain a more holistic perspective, and tackle social and environmental challenges.

VUSLAT FOUNDATION AT THE WELLBEING SUMMIT

Vuslat Foundation is a global initiative that fosters a deeper appreciation of listening as the essential element of all our connections. The Foundation creates awareness about and spreads the skill of generous listening. Established in Switzerland in 2020, with offices in Istanbul and London, Vuslat Foundation works with artists, storytellers, changemakers and thought leaders. Through partnerships with academia, civil society, artists, and businesses; the Foundation develops knowledge, research, methodologies, and tools on generous listening, cultivates generous listening in the ecosystems of youth and children, and builds awareness and inspiration on generous listening–deeply aligned with the Wellbeing Summit.

Journey with Grief: Reflections on Transformation and Impact Journey with Grief: Reflections on Transformation and Impact

Hosts: Sharon Salzberg & Parker J. Palmer

Guest: Zarlasht Halaimzai, Robi Damelin, and Kristin Urquiza

April 7, 2022

As we Face/Forward and make strides toward systemic change, we must also create space to acknowledge and honor the immense individual and collective loss caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. During this session, we explored the powerful role grief plays in our lives as a transformational process as well as an ongoing force inspiring new ways of building resilience and affecting change. This session was hosted in partnership with Skoll Foundation as part of #SWF2022.

WELLbinar: The relationship between Art and Wellbeing, featuring Joshua Roman and Jazmine Williams WELLbinar: The relationship between Art and Wellbeing, featuring Joshua Roman and Jazmine Williams

Hosts: Sharon Salzberg & Parker J. Palmer

Guest: Joshua Roman & Jazmine Williams

March 15, 2022

Hosts Sharon Salzberg and Parker J. Palmer are joined by Joshua Roman, cellist, composer and curator, and Jazmine Williams, poet writer and producer, to discuss the power of the arts for individuals and communities. Through the live practice of “slow listening,” we explore how the quality of experiencing artwork connects to our feelings and our wellbeing.

WELLbinar: Nurturing Wellbeing for Leadership, with David Simas, President – Obama Foundation WELLbinar: Nurturing Wellbeing for Leadership, with David Simas, President – Obama Foundation

Hosts: Sharon Salzberg & Parker J. Palmer

Guest: David Simas, President – Obama Foundation

February 8, 2022

David Simas, President at Obama Foundation, is joined by Sharon Salzberg and Parker Palmer to explore the links between wellbeing and inspirational leadership. Visit our website to find out more about The Wellbeing Summit for Social Change from June 1-3, 2022, in Bilbao-Biscay, Spain.

WELLbinar: Real Change – Bridging our Inner and Outer Worlds WELLbinar: Real Change – Bridging our Inner and Outer Worlds

Hosts: Sharon Salzberg & Parker J. Palmer

In the final WELLbinar of our 2021 series, Sharon Salzberg and Parker J. Palmer share what it means to adopt a sense of agency; how to move from grief to resilience; anger as a prelude to courage, and how to experience and maintain equanimity.