Rewilding Loneliness: A Crisis of Community and Loss of Shared Spaces

7th Annual North American Rewilding Conference Opening Presentation:
Rewilding Loneliness: A Crisis of Community and Loss of Shared Spaces

January, 2024

Summary:

So-called "developed" nations have the highest rate of loneliness in the world. When we think of rewilding, it's often the romanticized vision of the rugged, capable individual in a pristine forest. However, long-term feelings of loneliness and social isolation can reduce cognitive skills, such as the ability to concentrate, make decisions, and problem-solve. In the face of increasing authoritarianism and populist xenophobia, all we really have is each other in the day-to-day context we’re in.

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Sometimes I use post-it notes and my whiteboard to arrange talks:

Bio:

Paule Wood (they/them) has a background in Human Centered Design and has been professionally designing complex systems for two decades. A practitioner of de-armouring and Northern European ceremonial and personal magic, they are the co-iniator of the community organization Rewild Salish Sea, part of the Rewild Alliance.