How can schools lead and inspire in an era of ecological crisis? Our students, and others, are taking to the streets to demand climate solutions; in many parts of the world there is growing dissent and social upheaval. How can we innovate regenerative change that responds to rather than avoids, the trauma our students are facing as they come of age in a world of pressing social and ecological problems? We often curtail dialog in an attempt at efficiency, yet research indicates that allowing for narrative increases emotional support, empathy, agency, synergistic relationships, and creative solutions. Analysis of dialogue and narrative can provide insights not afforded in more tightly structured exchanges and utilizing narrative and storytelling can free us to face problems and solve them in innovative ways. In this interactive workshop we propose tools from grounded theory and narrative analysis as well as storytelling to find answers by opening up conversations with our students, our teachers and our community to help schools lead toward regenerative change and start to tell a new story of sustainability.
Time commitment: 1 for an introduction and 3.5 hours for a full workshop including curriculum design.
The Small Earth Institute 