Acting on Climate

Since 2019, Dr. Bobby Smith (Theatre and Performance) and Dr. Rachel Turner-King (Education) have spearheaded a series of participatory arts and theatre projects, engaging young people in creative dialogues about the climate crisis.

• With One Breath brought together young people in Coventry and Uganda to explore air pollution through visual arts and physical theatre (project team: Bobby Smith, Rachel Turner-King, Becky Warnock, Ashley James Brown, Mark Worth and Sarah Worth, Hussein Maddan and Rosemary Mayanja).
• EARTHSTORIES engaged teachers and Year 9 students at President Kennedy School to examine themes of land, power, and globalization resulting in a digital artwork and teaching resources. This project was part of a global research initiative led by Professor Kathleen Gallagher (Toronto University), connecting collaborators across Taiwan, Greece, India, Canada, and Colombia. (project team: Rachel Turner-King, Bobby Smith, Charlotte Hale Smith, Ashley James Brown, Luke Newbold, Reem Doukmak, Kelly Walsh, Year 9 students)
• Growing Youth Eco-Citizenship extended this work by testing innovative teaching resources and eco-pedagogies with educators and local artists, including Earthbound, Ascension Dance, and Coventry Poet Laureate John Bernard. (project team: Rachel Turner-King, Bobby Smith, Charlotte Hale Smith, Luke Newbold)

This body of research demonstrates the transformative potential of playful, creative approaches in addressing the climate crisis with young people. The Acting on Climate collective has pioneered a ‘site-responsive pedagogy’ and offer workshops and have written publications to outline the underpinning values of this approach to exploring ecological issues with young people.