Stories of the Earth: Performing Arts as Tools for Environmental Awareness
Introduction
How can stories inspire action for the planet? This course invites educators to explore performing arts as powerful tools for environmental awareness. Through movement, storytelling and creative expression, participants will transform ecological issues into engaging, meaningful learning experiences.
Description
This course explores the pedagogical potential of performing arts in fostering environmental awareness and sustainability education. Grounded in experiential and arts-based learning theories, it equips educators with creative methodologies to address ecological challenges through storytelling, drama, and embodied practice. Participants engage in devising theatre, role-play, and site-specific performance to explore environmental narratives, including climate change, biodiversity loss, and human–nature relationships. The course emphasises interdisciplinary learning, connecting arts education with environmental and citizenship education priorities of Erasmus+. Through collaborative creation and reflective practice, educators develop inclusive, student-centred approaches that enhance critical thinking, empathy, and active engagement. By the end of the course, participants will be able to design impactful learning experiences that inspire environmental responsibility and empower learners as agents of change.
Learning Objectives
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
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Understand key principles of environmental education and sustainability within the Erasmus+ framework
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Apply drama-based and performing arts methodologies in teaching environmental topics
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Develop storytelling techniques to explore ecological issues and multiple perspectives
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Facilitate embodied, experiential, and inclusive learning processes
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Design site-specific and outdoor learning activities connected to nature
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Foster students’ critical thinking, creativity, and environmental responsibility
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Integrate interdisciplinary approaches linking arts, science, and citizenship education
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Create and implement lesson plans and projects using performing arts for environmental awareness
Methodology and Assessment
The course follows a learner-centred, experiential methodology combining workshops, collaborative creation, role-play, and reflective practice. Participants actively engage in drama activities and group projects. Assessment is continuous and formative, based on participation, peer feedback, reflective journals, and the development of lesson plans or performance-based outputs.
Materials, Digital Tools & Other Learning Resources
Participants will use a range of materials including scripts, visual prompts, and natural elements for creative exploration. Digital tools such as Canva, Padlet, and CapCut support content creation and reflection. Additional resources include environmental case studies, multimedia content, and guidelines for outdoor and site-specific learning.
Preparation
After registration participants will receive pre-course questionnaire which will be used by the trainer to learn about participants’ teaching backgrounds and to assess their exact needs. Before the beginning of the course a basic reading list will be suggested to participants to prepare for the training. Participants will also be asked to prepare a presentation about themselves, their professional context and their culture which will be presented during the course. Participants will receive information about the country they are going to visit in order to prepare them for their cultural experience.
Follow up
After the course participants will be asked to share what they have learned with the rest of the staff in their schools. Further books and articles to deepen the topic and contacts with some other practitioners all over Europe and in the world will be suggested by the trainer. The methods shared and explored and the bibliography given will allow the participants to complete and improve their educational path.
Certificate
Each participant will get a course attendance certificate and on request we will complete the Europass Mobility Document.
Accommodation
We do not directly offer accommodation and subsistence and participants are responsible for organizing it by themselves.
Paperwork
We also provide all the support with paperwork you might need for your Erasmus+ project documentation such as mobility agreement and registration letter.
Fee: 560 €
Cancelation policy
Free cancellation up to 30 days before the start. After that, the reservation is not refundable. Changes in name and profile of the participant are possible any time before the start of the course (replacement participants from the same school/org are accepted at any time). In case the school/org doesn't find a replacement, we will still offer a place at any of our confirmed courses later in the year without any additional costs but we can not guarantee that every course session will be confirmed and the school/org will only be offered to choose from already confirmed course sessions. In case it will not be possible for the participant to attend the course or for us to organize the course due to extraordinary circumstances (classified as such by the European Commission) which present themselves in the period of less than 30 days before the start of the course and we don’t manage to find an alternative solution, we will keep 50 % of the payment and refund the remaining balance of 50% to the payer’s bank account.
Draft Programme - 35 didactic hours
Day 1
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Welcome and introduction
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Outline of the programme
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Cultural exchange
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Warm ups and icebreakers
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Course expectations and needs analysis, setting up a collaborative learning environment and creating an educational contract
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Introduction to Drama in Education
Day 2
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The role of storytelling in shaping environmental awareness
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Exploring narratives of climate, nature, and sustainability
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Sensory awareness and nature connection
Day 3
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Creating environmental characters
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Exploring multiple perspectives
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Introduction to Invisible Theatre
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Designing activities using character and role-play
Day 4
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Plot, conflict, and resolution in environmental stories
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Group story-building
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Blocking, timing, and collaboration on short scenes
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Peer feedback on scripts and ideas
Day 5
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Introduction to site-specific theatre rules
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Observing and documenting natural surroundings
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Using landscape and public space as inspiration
Day 6
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Designing short interactive performances
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Rehearsal and adaptation to outdoor space
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Experimenting with audience interaction in a public space
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Documenting the insights, evaluating impact and reflection
Day 7
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Design of personal implementation plan for using performing arts as tools for environmental awareness
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Presentation of outputs(personal implementation plans)
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Group reflection, feedback and discussion
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Dissemination strategy and european dimension
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Validation of the learning outcomes
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Evaluation of the course
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Closing session