Our vision IS an interconnected world in which all peatland creatures and communities are supported culturally and ecologically

We support the emergence of transformative narratives between people and peatlands.

We exist because without this deeper imaginative work, high-level policies and non-governmental interventions for peatland restoration and protection will neither be effective, nor fair, nor truly healing. We exist because you can’t have thriving peatlands without thriving peatland cultures rooted in restorative relationships.

the deep bit

The problem we seek to address is the destruction and degradation of the world’s peatlands, and we understand this problem to be (at least in part) the effect of narratives that treat peatlands as empty or hostile or resource (or some combination of these). We recognise these peatland narratives to in turn rest on “deep narratives” that treat humans as separate from the rest of the living world and restrict value to purely economic value. We believe ecological destruction and the destruction and degradation of cultures of abundance, care and reciprocity mutually reinforce each other.

care

JUSTICE

curiosity

Rooted in our values of care, justice and curiosity, our impact occurs in these ways:

We educate and activate those who are sympathetic towards environmental and social issues on the topic of peatlands and we stimulate those working on the topic of peatlands already to adopt an intersectional narrative. Narratives which go beyond numbers and figures and which embody stories and visions. Narratives founded on transforming society towards social and environmental justice. 

At the same time, we acknowledge that not all growth is instant, and that not all growth has traceable origins. We believe that part of our impact is unquantifiable, happening out of sight and at a deeper level. Some RE-PEAT seeds might be lying dormant on the ground before being eaten by a bird who later drops it some 100 miles away. Trusting that our work matters, based on the visible and invisible, inspires us to keep going. 

  • Supporting youth leadership and connecting peat-ple across the globe

    Our narrative work aims to redistribute power along intersectional lines and build anti-oppressive communities around peatlands. For example, young people live within narratives we had no part in shaping. At the same time, some young people are given more voice and heard louder than others.

    Projects: Peatlands Justice, Peat-Fest

  • Through a holistic educational programme and sharing resources

    Although not working out of one particular peatland, we have found that for creating new peatland narratives it helps to get your feet a little wet. We don’t prescribe one way of doing this, but rather aim to facilitate different types of opportunity for people to experience peatlands in their whole bodies.

    Projects: Restoration Academy, Bog Academy

  • Through supporting artist and emerging creatives as well as creating art and literature 

    Rather than claiming to have all the answers, we prefer to stay curious and work with emergence. This way we can attend more carefully to new narratives as they bubble up. Through trying new methods and mediums of creation and collaboration, through listening and reflecting, through playing - we’re able to shape our work to be most impactful under different contexts and opportunities. It’s also more fun that way.

    Projects: Moss Pit, Peatland Incubator, Peatlands and the Imagination workshop, Peatlands Cyanotype workshop, the B(l)og  

  • Through hosting educational workshops and events and supporting youth leadership

    Whether mediated through a here-and-now experience or a scientific paper, when metaphors, images and inspiration are grounded in the peatland itself, the narratives synthesised out of these represent a relationship. A relationship with something ancient and yet springy with life. Such a deep-time perspective is something we hold close in our work, because we’ve experienced the transformative sense of care it can engender. In particular calling us to collaborate across generations.

    Projects: Grief and Peatlands workshops, Bogs ‘n Books 

  • Through creating intersectional communications, providing local communities with tools for change-making and holding those in power accountable 

    While different dominant narratives will operate in different contexts, we want to connect up young people from different areas in Europe to identify common themes and change the public conversation around peatlands at scale. Through building information infrastructure and opportunities for connection our work can be deep and broad in its scope. 

    Projects: Restoration Academy, Peat-Fest, Peatland Justice, Peat Anthology, UK Anthology

Our work delivers impact for peatlands and their communities through:

ORGANISATIONAL INFORMATION

RE-PEAT has been registered as a Stichting in the Netherlands on 16 July 2020

Legal name: Stichting RE-PEAT

RSIN/fiscal number: 861464540

KvK number: 78598311
Account number: NL58 TRIO 0320 1971 58  

BIC/SWIFT: TRIONL2U

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