content rising | digital edition
Watch, listen, read again
Feedback on Content Rising 2025 at Kew Wakehurst:
"Cathartic… powerful… galvanising"
"The best sustainability event I've ever been to"
“It was just the feast my soul needed”
"Utterly fantastic"
“It reminded my heart that I can do the kind of work I want to do”
We are delighted to be able to share content from Content Rising 2025.
Keynote talks and panel discussions from the big tent
Warm-up online events exploring our themes and venue
Unique digital resources from speakers and workshop hosts
Farhana Yamin: The challenges and opportunities of reframing climate
“I think we've won. And it may sound a bold claim, you know, in this moment of darkness where you see the full force of imperialism, of the far right, of hatred, of attacks on diversity of women, on race, on culture, against Muslims, against migrants, against trans people. You're seeing all of that, but it's because we've won.”
Farhana Yamin, climate justice lawyer and activist, closed Content Rising 2025 with an astonishing unscripted keynote address.
Gathering the themes of the day, Farhana shares her story of optimism, realism and activism in relation to climate justice and the battle to secure a liveable future for ourselves and future generations.
She told us her own incredible story of the road to becoming a global climate legislator and activist who has been leading and shaping the effort to set planetary goals for carbon reductions for decades. She is a powerful woman who has journeyed from early childhood in Pakistan, via an inner city London state school and Oxford University, right into the heart of the British establishment to do the hard work on climate and nature.
Listen to this talk to hear more about:
What climate justice actually means, how it looks and what it feels like
The need for greater effort from people not of the Global Majority to meet others where they are
Why the backlash is happening and how we can remain resilient
The work we can all continue to do to honour Gaia, ourselves and each other
Why we should be actively hopeful now
When youth voices rise
Hosted by Chantelle Lindsay, featuring Lira Valencia and Vanessa Terschluse
“I used to judge influencers and say, oh, you know, they just take selfies and, you know, they live a good life. But it's hard work. Like it's a proper, full time job… I didn't just wake up one day and like, have all this experience. I have a zoology degree under my belt.” - Lira Valencia
A lively, heartfelt and revealing conversation about the joys and challenges for young people who are engaging with nature and the climate emergency.
The discussion explores:
How and why they came to work with nature and as activists
Lived experience and clear advice for organisations who are seeking to engage with diverse young people in more impactful and meaningful ways
The barriers they have faced in finding their place in this work
The challenges young people face stepping into the realities of our times
How they maintain their creativity, mental health and resilience
What brings them joy and hope
Jon Alexander:
From Consumers to Citizens
“I began to ask: what are we doing to ourselves when we tell ourselves we are consumers, constantly?”
Jon Alexander, author of ‘Citizens’, tells the story of his journey from the soullessness of advertising and consumer-focused messages on sustainability to the life-affirming and joyful calling of community-powered change.
In this talk he shares:
The big stories we can live in: from Subject, to Consumer, to Citizen
Noticing the ‘drama triangle’ in campaigning and activism
A possible model for healthier activism
Live examples of citizen-powered change and communication
A call to action for us to challenge ourselves to rise to this moment
Matt Golding:
We Don't Need Another Hero's Journey
“The challenge for us as storytellers … is we need to learn to tell stories of hope to each other that show our agency can be built, networked and spread.”
Matt Golding, founder of Rubber Republic and Antidote Studios, shares what he’s learning about how to tell positive, playful stories that explode the myth of helplessness.
In this talk he offers insight on:
Tina Turner as an inspiration for positive storytelling
What he learned from making scarily effective viral video content as a marketer
How we can show what “better” looks like in our content
Shifting from the hero mindset to the creativity of the collective
An invitation to get involved with the work of the Antidote project
A practical and evidence-based framework for putting together stories from diverse, real communities doing real stuff today
Michael Kibedi: Human Decentred Design
"Economic justice, housing justice, migrant justice and decolonial justice are all tied so closely together with climate justice - we can't concern ourselves with putting out a fire in a pantry if the whole house continues to burn."
In this powerful talk, Michael asks us to consider:
Soil - how we look down and our relationship with the earth
Self - how we look inwards and who gets to call themselves a designer or a creative, and why that is
Signals - with a critical appraisal of the narratives of “climate justice” and what this means if there is no liberation
Sky - how we can broaden and enliven our perspectives for a more pluralistic future
Imagination for change
Hosted by Marisol Grandon, featuring Afreen Saulat and Anthony Pearce
“Although I can understand the inspiration that you might get from social media, I really think that our intuition and our deep inner knowing get further and further away when you rely so much on things outside of yourself.” - Afreen Saulat
A conversation about how applying our imaginations can help us break out of old patterns and build excitement for something different. Listen to this panel to hear about:
What imagination actually is - what’s happening in our minds
Using images and experiences to support communities to vision better places to live
The power of imagination in using AI for green futures with Friends of the Earth
Imagination as a tool in the research process - particularly with communities who often get ignored or forgotten
The role of courage in supporting imagination - getting past fears of “naivety”
Rest as resistance - a way to support dreaming and imagination of better things
The privilege that surrounds the space to imagine
Lost futures and spaces - the loss of the future we imagined for ourselves
How imagination is being used by the extreme right, liberals and managerialist politicians
Imagining different labels and roles for ourselves
Content Rising warm-up events
With our headline sponsors Naturesave Insurance, our partners at Association of Sustainability Practitioners, and our wonderful venue hosts at Kew Wakehurst, we held four warm-up events. We explored core themes, ideas and places that we grounded the experience of Content Rising in.
Can positive funny short video content flip the script on climate change (Antidote Studios)
The power of place
Financing the future
A garden with purpose https://youtu.be/2KRxaY1t4vI
Catch up with these events using the links below.
Can positive funny short video content flip the script on climate change (Antidote Studios)
With Matt Golding from Rubber Republic. Gathering feedback for video content that demonstrates the power of people and communities to change the narrative. Hosted by the Association of Sustainability Practitioners.
The power of place
With Deana Bamford of Coalville C.A.N., Carolyn Doyley of East Marsh United, and Polly Kitson of Sussex Wildlife Trust Wilder Communities. A warm and inspirational conversation about place-based community action happening right now in a place near you. Hosted by Naturesave Insurance and the Association of Sustainability Practitioners.
Financing the future
With Ed Grattan from Triodos Bank and James Holt from Naturesave Insurance. Explore the challenges and opportunities in aligning financial products with sustainability goals, including risk assessment, climate change considerations, and supporting purpose-led businesses. Hosted by Naturesave Insurance and the Association of Sustainability Practitioners.
A garden with purpose
With Marilena Reina, Iain Parkinson, Elinor Bremen, Phil Wilkes and Harri Oliver from the team at Kew Wakehurst. An exploration of the incredible work happening at the Millennium Seed Bank and across the landscape at Wakehurst to grow environmental awareness and connect communities with nature. Hosted by Tamsin Bishton and Charlie Peverett at Wilsome.
