Meet Frédéric Giuli, one of Climate Fresk’s founding members
Frédéric has just recently left the post of treasurer at Climate Fresk. Before he moves on, we picked his brain on a few things…
In 2018, you helped found Climate Fresk, contributing in both enthusiasm and skill. What do you take away from this experience and what do you make of the rapid growth of the workshop?
I take away that anything is possible!
In 2018, I was in a flat with around ten people and we dreamt of waking up a million people to the climate crisis. It was a bit crazy, but we had the audacity and ambition to give it a go.
Driven people like us often come up against apathy and discouragement, but the Fresk project has proved that it is possible to make change if we harness the power of the collective. It is this collective power, when people come together as a community, that has led to the success of the Fresk.
I believe there are 8 billion people alive who want a better world. Making it actually happen is about finding the right tools and a common language so we can channel this phenomenal amount of energy into something amazing. The spirit of the Fresk project, as well as the powerful workshop itself, has unlocked something special.
What do you think of the current awareness around climate issues, individually and collectively?
It depends where you mean.
In France, we’ve gone beyond ‘awareness’: everyone is ‘aware’ of the issues. The next step is to collectively find the strength to face up to a reality that we don’t want to be real. We need to make a difficult shift and reevaluate some fundamental assumptions that we’ve based our modern lives on. We need the courage to start laying the foundations of a new and uncertain world; there is hope in this task, as well as discomfort.
In other countries, it’s a different story. Despite the scientific consensus, the anthropogenic nature of climate change is still the subject of debate. This area still needs a lot of work, which is why Climate Fresk’s international growth will be a major focus in the months and years to come.
What is Climate Fresk’s superpower and what are the levers needed for continued growth?
Our greatest strength is our collective power. All the Freskers who drive the project forward every day with their energy, creativity and ambition.
This power is fueled by every workshop, when we see something shifting in the eyes of a participant and feel the energy rise in the room. We leave workshops energised and motivated to keep fresking! I think we’ve found what physics says is impossible, here: an unlimited supply of energy!
What advice would you give a new Fresker?
My two top tips:
- Just get started. The first few Fresks are the hardest, but it gets easier and more enjoyable every time! After that, keep going. Run at least one Fresk a month, so you don’t lose momentum and confidence.
- Get stuck into the community. There are amazing Freskers doing amazing things everywhere. It really motivates me to spend time with inspiring people; it helps me believe in myself and go further.
You’ve announced you’re leaving the Climate Fresk office. Do you feel a sense of achievement and what is your advice to the NGO?
I do have a sense of achievement: we have reached the ‘One Million’ mark! And also, I leave with a sense that there is so much more to be done.
I’m not done with the Fresk – I want to put my time into projects that are close to my heart, particularly reaching out to underrepresented communities.
One piece of advice to Climate Fresk would be to keep the spirit of the Fresk alive. To thrive, it must be driven by the energy of thousands of volunteers who dare to imagine that we could change the world together.
The proof is in the pudding. We’re already doing it.