An exploration of how to use storytelling, poetry, theater, and other art forms as a way to generate a positive impact in your communities.

With the support from the Erasmus+ program, One Resilient Earth and Climate Creativity offered a free online Learning Journey for young people. More than 450 youth took part in the learning journey “Becoming Climate ARTivists” from January to April 2024.

Dare to be creative

We are living in the midst of a climate crisis. Devastating droughts, floods and fires are raging in Europe and around the world. The urgency of the crisis, combined with lack of political action, can easily lead to despair, powerlessness and apathy. That is why alternative narratives are so important. What if urgency means that there is only time for what matters most? Now, more than ever, we need young people to take a leap, be creative and dare to do things differently.

Why artivism?

The purpose of the learning journey was to create a safe space where we could explore ways to cultivate awareness and social change through art and storytelling, also known as artivism.

Artivism: The use of creative expression to cultivate awareness and social change

As young people are entering organizations and workplaces, many find themselves trapped in limiting mindsets, systems and structures. This learning journey provided students and young professionals with the knowledge, skills and tools they need to co-create initiatives transforming universities, workplaces and communities. The journey was undertaken as a community to nurture resilience, creativity and wellbeing.

A successful journey

Throughout the journey the participants gained a deeper understanding of climate resilience, regeneration and the role of storytelling and arts in transforming climate action.

Before and after surveys captured that, on scale of 1 to 10, the participants’ improved their understanding of:

• climate resilience from 6.1 to 8.2
• regeneration from 6,2 to 8,0, and
• the role of the arts and storytelling in transforming climate action from 6.2 to 8.6.

Participants’ assessments of being equipped to use creative practices to grow their own creativity and skills for climate action grew from 5.6 to 8.2, and participants’ engagement in climate activism or artivism grew from 5.7 to 7.9.

100 percent of participants responding to the survey would recommend the journey to others.

Thank you to everyone taking part - you made this into a wonderful journey!

Read stories from the journey on our website:

• You are not alone
• An expression of climate grief
• A starfish out of the water

Read more about the results on Instagram.

Activities

Through eight online workshops participants got to learn about the impact of different art forms in fostering effective climate action, and had the opportunity to practice grounding exercices, poetry, drawing and storytelling. Becoming a Climate Artivist was a personal and collective journey where we explored:

• the potential of arts in climate activism and climate work
• how telling better stories about global heating can change everything, and what you need to know to become a compelling storyteller
• why engaging with our emotions associated with the climate emergency is key to climate resilience, transformation and regeneration
• how the arts can help us cope with, prepare for and prevent some of the unavoidable impacts of climate change
• what people will tell you to dismiss the arts/creativity and how to counter it;
• how the arts can shift perspectives to achieve political objectives when everything else failed
• how to unleash empathy, imagination and creativity to facilitate transformation at work when everything seems blocked

Community

Throughout the learning journey, we will gathered at ‘We Are One Resilient Earth’, a dedicated online community platform to facilitate exchanges, foster collaborations and reflection.

You are welcome to join this community at any time!

Cover illustration by Carolina Altavilla