Making Hope: Climate Action for Dark Times
Wed 17 Sep – Wed 12 Nov 2025 NZDT
Making Hope: Climate Action for Dark Times
Check out the course webpage for more details!
More than just the climate is changing in the world today. Governments are falling one by one to fascism and far-right political parties. With them comes an institutionalisation of doubt, denial, and a turn away from collective solutions to our shared problems.
This class will explore the impacts of that transition and what we can do about it. What can we do to protect our scientists? How can we transform the climate movement into one that can rise to the scale of the needed change. And most of all, what should the climate movement do to fight fascism and ensure a livable planet for everyone?
Guest speakers will include Bill McKibben, Amy Westervelt, James Renwick, Ketan Joshi ... and more to come!
Your Facilitator
Mandy Henk is a co-founder of Dark Times Academy and long time climate activist. Her 2014 book, Ecology, Economy, Equity: The Path to a Carbon Neutral Library (ALA) was the first book for librarians focused climate change. She's an educator, librarian, writer, and activist focusing on tech, climate, and counter disinformation.
Zoom sessions
17 September - 12 November
NZST: Wednesday 10:00 am
EDT: Tuesday 6:00 pm
PDT: Tuesday 3:00 pm
AEST: Wednesday 8:00 am
Note: Daylight saving time will happen in multiple places during this course! We will follow the time change in Aotearoa New Zealand. Please check the time for each week below using the link to confirm for your location!
Class Outline
Each week we will come together to discuss with each other and guests the all important question facing us all right now: What is most the important thing right now for the climate movement? and How does the climate movement need to transform to meet the current moment? It's clear that the landscape has changed and we must change with it--but how and how can we build a movement that welcomes everyone to face the whole range of issues threatening us all?
Week 1 17 September Let's make hope!
This week will be a getting to know you week for everyone. We will focus on discussing the climate movement to date, our own experiences as people who care about climate, and how we have been impacted by the rise of far right governments. This class will also be the one where we decide how we want to welcome our guests and work to create a vibrant classroom environment.
Week 2 24 September Amy Westervelt
Week 3 1 October James Renwick
Week 4 8 October Ketan Joshi
15 October Break week!
Week 5 22 October TBA
Week 6 29 October TBA
Week 7 5 November Bill McKibben
Time Zone Finder Link
Week 8 12 November Wrap-up!
Time Zone Finder Link
Class Project
Classes like this can feel heavy sometimes--but action helps us to redirect our energy into doing the work of making a better world. As part of this class, we will be offering the opportunity for the class to decide on shared optional project aimed at making a cooler world. We will discuss the options and make a plan together--in the past Mandy's classes have created learning games, planned events, and developed submissions to political leaders. What we do will be up to the students who enrol!