Youth Environmental Projects

Plastic Nature is a Creative School Project I'm facilitating with pupils in Ennis NS.

Client

Ennis Creative School (Part of the Creative School's Programme

Date

Mar 2024

Location

Ennis NS, Co Clare

Youth Participatory Environmental/Climate Projects by Evelyn Sorohan

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My Creative, Environmental and Educational Aims

My Youth Participatory Environmental/Climate Projects are designed to empower young people to engage actively with climate issues through creativity and collaboration. These projects provide a platform for children and teenagers to explore the causes and effects of climate change while imagining and developing sustainable solutions. Each project is created within a collaborative partnership framework with the class teacher or lead creative teacher in the school.

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Broadford and Kilbane Creative Schools Programme ; Creative associate Evelyn Sorohan, a class teacher and pupils. The pupils create Butterflies from waste plastics as part of their "Broadford Giant Nurtures Biodiversity" Project 2021/22

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How I Creatively Facilitate These Projects

Through interactive workshops and hands-on activities, participants are inspired to use art as a powerful medium for expression and advocacy. These sessions encourage them to create works that reflect their ideas, hopes, and visions for a more sustainable future.

At the heart of these projects is the belief that young voices are essential to the climate conversation. By fostering a sense of agency and equipping participants with tools for creative problem-solving, these initiatives empower them to take meaningful ownership of their role in addressing environmental challenges.

This work builds on the second iteration of my broader Climate Action Programme for Schools (CAPS), which I originally developed in 2019 alongside Dr. Alice D'Arcy from STEAM Education Ireland and Ray McInerney, Director of Clare Education Centre.

*Class of Pupils engaged in Creative Physical Temperature Rise Experiment Game 2020*

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Structure

These projects run from 6 weeks to 2 years depending on the funding body

Youths identify an environmental or climate issue that they are interested in. We creatively explore this through art, music and drama
I share my multidisciplinary climate art practice with the participant and invite them to respond to it. They begin to ask questions about my motivation and process. this leads to them asking questions about the causes of climate change and how we need different solutions
Alongside the teacher we deepen their scientific knowledge using creative experiments which involve ice, wind and heat
Next the children and teens work in groups to create their very own inventive solutions. These may be imaginative or realistic models or art
A sense of pride and ownership of the creations is experienced. The youths install or exhibit their art work

_{The outcomes of these creative youth projects are shared in public forums, exhibitions, or digital platforms, ensuring that the children's and youths ideas reach wider audiences and contribute to the collective effort for climate action.}

_{Significantly, these projects are funded through a number of creative programmes such as Creative Ireland's}_{Creative Schools Programme}_,_{Clare Arts Office; Artist in Schools Programme}_,_BLAST_or_TAP_{Dept of Education Programme. If you teacher or parent or pupil and you wish to collaborate with me on a school or youth programme please email me at evelynsorohandaly@gmail.com}

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This initiative organizes regular cleanup events in local parks and neighborhoods. Volunteers come together to remove litter and beautify their surroundings, fostering a sense of pride and responsibility for the environment. The project also includes educational components on waste management and recycling.