What if we could create a future we were proud to leave behind?
Learn from nature - developing skills, agency and meaningful action - to grow thriving people and places
Working with communities, youth organisations and outdoor education, using nature connection, biomimicry and participatory learning, to build confidence, collaboration and practical solutions for climate, biodiversity and social challenges.
For Communities & Councils
Stronger communities. Healthier ecosystems. Practical local action.
I support residents, local groups and councils to build nature-based design skills and stronger community connections. Developing shared vision and agency, implementing practical projects which strengthen resilience, and addressing climate, biodiversity and social challenges—together.
For Educational Organisations and Youth Groups
Equipping youth to turn their concern about the future into practical skills, agency and action to shape a changing world.
I work with education and youth organisations to create participatory learning programmes and experiences grounded in nature-based and collaborative approaches. Helping young people to build active hope and a sense of purpose and belonging. Enabling creative responses to climate, biodiversity and social challenges while exploring meaningful pathways for their future.
For Outdoor Educators & Natural Heritage Sites
Inspiring visitors to connect with environmental challenges and take meaningful action for nature.
I collaborate with outdoor educators, natural heritage sites and conservation organisations, designing engaging, experiential learning programmes, which draw on powerful nature-led and interpretive approaches. Helping participants move from disconnection, concern or overwhelm, into understanding and positive action for climate and biodiversity.
Why nature-led approaches?
Life on Earth has 3.8 BILLION years of experimenting with and evolving solutions to pretty much every challenge faced by a lifeform or ecosystem. By learning from nature and being guided by living systems principles, human societies can move away from creating harm to the planet, each other, and the wider community of life, and toward being positively contributing 'ecological citizens', locally and globally.
For the last 28 years I've been exploring how humanity can reconnect with, learn from and emulate nature's patterns and principles to live within planetary boundaries and create a thriving future for humanity and nature. Starting out as a marine mammal biologist and wildlife guide, becoming a sustainability trainer and deep nature connection practitioner, working with the Transition towns movement to support community led climate resilience, and diving into the wonderful world of biomimicry. Throughout this I've provided a wide variety of clients with the experiences, mindsets, skills and practices to be guided by nature, build networks of social connection and improve their programmes, plans, designs and actions for a more resilient and thriving future.
My Approach in Simple Terms - Nature C.E.N.S.E
CONNECT - with nature and people, for wellbeing and new perspectives
EMULATE - life’s principles, patterns and solutions, for designs which support all to thrive
NETWORK - participate in and contribute to your communities of support, practice and place
STORY - shape a vision of a preferred future which builds active hope and solidarity
EMPOWER - yourself and others to believe we can be positive contributors to the living world
Introducing the Ecological Citizens Framework
ECOLOGICAL CITIZENSHIP FRAMEWORK
Find out more by exploring the 5 pathways and 5 outcomes of ecological citizenship
Figure 1: Ecological Citizens Framework version 1.1. Created by Deborah Benham © 2024. This work is openly licensed via Creative Commons licence CC BY-NC-ND meaning you may share the framework with others so long as you provide attribution, and do not change or remix the content or use it for commercial purposes.
TALKS - podcasts & public speaking
COLLABORATE - Consultancy & Co-design
(coming soon)
Introductory Course - Becoming Ecological Citizens
Register interest by completing the contact form below. 'Pay what you can' rates available.
Explore
- Simple practices to deeply reconnect with and learn from the living world.
- Principles of living systems to guide us out of the climate and biodiversity crises into a more safe, just and thriving future.
- An elegant nature-based framework to create more connective programmes and events, and develop your team.
- Your pathway to activating as an ecological citizen.
- Creating conditions for others to flourish into ecological citizenship.
- Designing and cooperating towards ecosystems of ecological citizenship.
CONTACT ME
For any questions, or to express interest in a workshop or course, drop me a message using the contact form.
CHAT WITH ME
If you'd like a free 30 minute chat to explore how we might work together, or to see if any of the offerings mentioned on this site are a good fit for you.
Book a time using the button below.