What is Climate Awareness?
Being Climate Aware is the act of learning about the natural environment and making educated choices to benefit the earth, rather than hurt it.
Why is this relevant in a youth theatre context?
Information around the climate crisis can often involve alarming statistics, prophecies of doom and gloom, and a call to do important but small tasks that many consider dull and irritating, e.g. turning down thermostats and ensuring kettles are boiled responsibly. Most people have some level of climate awareness and understand that the future of our natural world, and our societies are at stake. Yet there is also a ‘climate fatigue’ in which people just don’t want to think about it anymore. Arts and culture can be a crucial remedy to this, and a catalyst for change, by making climate awareness accessible and exciting.
Youth theatre could play a particularly crucial role within this. Many young people have a passionate interest in climate awareness as they are acutely aware that they are the ones who will be living in and leading the future. Harnessing the passion and creativity of young people in pursuit of a greener society can be enormously engaging and motivating for participants, as well as having potentially world–changing effects.
What is Green Recovery?
The Green Recovery is an initiative in which governments (including the Scottish Government) embrace the climate benefits that have been witnessed during lockdown and carry them forward as we rebuild towards the “New Normal”.
More can be found out about this on the Scottish Government’s website.
COP 26
COP26: A visual guide | Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit (eciu.net)
YouthLink’s COP26 Scottish Youth Climate Project
How your youth theatre can get involved with Climate Awareness
Swap, recycle and save money with the Circular Arts Network
Create your own environmental policy with Creative Carbon Scotland
Youth Theatre Performance Projects relating to Climate Awareness
Scottish Youth Theatre’s National Ensemble’s “Once You See The Smoke”
The National Youth Theatre’s three-year environmental project MELT
Wild Geese Theatre: helping young people face climate change anxiety
Almeida Theatre Young Company’s digital climate change festival ‘Shifting Tides’
General Climate Awareness Links
Adapting-Our-Culture-Toolkit.pdf (culturaladaptations.com)
Dare we hope? Here’s my cautious case for climate optimism | Rebecca Solnit | The Guardian
What are YTAS doing to help the environment?
Youth Theatre Arts Scotland is a climate-aware and climate-active organisation. We are proud to be a member of The Green Arts Initiative, an interactive community of arts organisations working to reduce their environmental impact and contribute to a more sustainable Scotland. We are committed to monitoring and reducing our own environmental impact, and to inspiring, encouraging and supporting our sector to act sustainably as we transition towards a climate resilient and low-carbon economy.
At our events, we aim to…
- Reduce paper resources. Where possible we send out information packs and delegate lists by email, and keep paper resources to a minimum.
- Provide vegetarian-based catering, with vegan and other dietary requirement options available.
- Encourage you to bring your own keep cup to use throughout the day.
