Positively Newsworthy Celebrating the simple & true

positively newsworthy

GOOD NEWS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE.

1 Nature as Educator

FOREST SCHOOLS.

by Alison McEvoy

“…connection with, and immersion in, nature increases optimism, confidence, creativity, curiosity and natural learning abilities”

Forest Schools are growing! The demand for child places has surged in the past 12 months. As parents begin to realise the power of nature, watching their children in playgrounds and parks the past year or so, Forest Schools are feeling the shift in awareness. At Forest Schools children spend long periods of time in a woodland or natural area, interacting with and experiencing the natural world. Traditional school set-ups see children enclosed in classrooms, with only very small periods of time spent in an often concreted, play or sports area. It is becoming understood that connection with, and immersion in, nature increases optimism, confidence, creativity, curiosity and natural learning abilities such as observation and critical thinking. Children are engaged in a multitude of ways: gardening, tree-planting, bird watching, sea-swimming, forest therapy and nature clubs. The experience is one of a kind, especially for city-living folk! As one child put it, “Forest School has brightened every Thursday up. It’s really fun and energetic…I love how they taught us to make swings and forts. My favourite memory was definitely pulling up a really big branch because it showed strength, teamwork and hard-working.” If you don’t have kids but love the idea, Forest School Leader training might be the thing for you. Let’s bring nature back as educator to ourselves and our children!

forestschoolireland.ie

2 Kye the Donkey

3 Bounty the Travelling Cat

THIS FARMER’S DONKEY IS NOW ACTING LIKE THE FAMILY PET.

by Kate Stuart

This farmer’s donkey is now acting like the family pet. This foal had a tough start in life, being rejected by its mother when only a few weeks old. John Nuttall and his partner Gražina Pervenis saw Kye the Donkey in distress after his mother turned on him. This tugged on their heart strings and they took it upon themselves to rescue him and hand rear him back to full health. These early days are crucial in the development of a foal’s journey, it’s a precarious road but this special fellow was given a second chance at life, thanks to this generous couple. In the first days, Gražina fed Kye with milk from his estranged mother through a tube to ensure the youngster got the right nutrients. “She kept him on that for twoto-three weeks. She was feeding him every hour at that time,” John recalls Soon, Kye began playing with their dogs—and began exhibiting hound-like behaviour. Kye now comes running with the dogs whenever John whistles. “He even started playing with a ball and everything, and now, I can go for a walk down the road, and he’ll follow me like a dog.” This charming Donkey would come back to the house every evening “because he also needed human contact.” Kye the Donkey is now a fully fledged member of the family “He’s grown up. He’s got all his teeth, and he’s eating well. He’s going to live—that’s the main thing. My main concern was to keep him alive.” He has been integrated into the paddocks with the other donkeys on this couple’s farm, living his best life.

“He even started playing with a ball and everything, and now, I can go for a walk down the road, and he’ll follow me like a dog.”

THIS CAT HAS A LOVE FOR A LIFE ON THE ROAD.

by Kate Stuart

They say man’s best friend is the dog but for this woman, her travelling companion is her cat. Doina Muravsch saved a one year old cat called Bounty from an animal sanctuary. Black cats often get a bad rep and face the lowest adoption rates, oftentimes being overlooked entirely. This lucky felines’s life changed for the better when he met this wanderlust woman. “I handmade a special pouch for him, because cat carriers are not adapted to certain journeys,” she explains. Muravsch takes Bounty on all of her adventures, most recently scaling to the summit La Grignetta, a 7,100-foot mountain in the Italian Alps. “Together we’ve already gone on trips of more than a month—last autumn we went from Ballabio to Matera by bike.” For those unfamiliar with the Italian landscape, that entails cycling the entire length of the Italian peninsula from the knee-line to the instep of the ‘boot’. Like most people, trying something new takes some getting used to and it was no different for this little critter. “At the start Bounty was a little agitated, but after the first few days he started to enjoy himself. While I pedalled, he slept in the carrier.” Muravsch is intent on changing the narrative around cats only wanting to sleep. This curious cat is changing the game and opening up new possibilities for felines around the globe. She has let the cat out of the bag and he is going on an adventure!

“Together we’ve already gone on trips of more than a month—last autumn we went from Ballabio to Matera by bike”

positively newsworthy the little things

1 Feeding Friendships

CARVE OUT TIME TO FEED YOUR SOUL.

by Kate Stuart

Friendships can have a major impact on your health and well-being, but it’s not always easy to develop or maintain these relationships. Prioritising friendships can seem tough right now, especially when we are focusing on keeping ourselves afloat. Oftentimes we can get so caught up in our own lives that we can end up neglecting our relationships. Something that has brought me a great sense of gratitude was hosting a small dinner with my childhood friend and my brother. Our schedules vary wildly and it can be so hard to get together but the stars aligned and one Saturday we made it happen. Though we think differently on some major topics circulating at the minute, we came together to have a lovely evening, sharing good food and even better company. Carving out time to cultivate and strengthen relationships, even when it feels impossible, is so rewarding, even beyond the meet-up itself, and you never know how valuable that would be for someone else. We can never truly know how someone is feeling but if we go kindly into situations we can get a good sense of how to navigate through these tough times together. Having a good support network can make you feel more resilient, problems shared are problems halved. And let us not forget about having fun! We have spent the last 18 months in survival mode, so often we can forget about good old fashioned wholesome fun. Find the parameters that suit your needs and live your best life!

“Carving out time to cultivate and strengthen relationships, even when it feels impossible, is so rewarding, even beyond the meet-up itself”

8

“the kind of light that makes your heart shine up into your mind...” 2 Recharging the inner light

COURAGE & CLARITY WITHIN.

by Alison McEvoy

The brightest of lights knocked on the doors of my heart this winter. The lightworkers appeared to be out in force, dedicated to drawing in the light and spreading it far and wide amid the daily life of willing hearts. Mine was gasping for more light; the kind of light that makes your feet feel like they are treading gently; the kind of light that makes your heart shine up into your mind so that things can be perceived with more understanding, more softness and compassion. Abby Wynne offered 33 days of free meditations. Many a dark afternoon I ‘did the work’ of calling in the light and igniting mine to meet it. Kamilla Harra offered soul support - online,weekly gatherings and a second weekly gathering for integration and discussion. She is so deeply tuned into her group and the guidance she offers is so spot on and breaks down the most complex of inner experiences. Lying down beside my toddler, exhausted yet satisfied by his happy snores, I experienced a kind of receiving that is invaluable. A receiving of the light. The light that is actually the life-force of the Universe. We need to take in this light, just as we need sun, water, food and sleep. Taking in this light I find gives me strength and clarity to recognise and, as often as I can, rise above thoughts and feelings that are doubting, conflictual and would have me feeling sad, powerless and angry. This light is food for the inner struggle and helps us emerge from the depths of our minds with more joyful, empowered and constructive actions at the ready.

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