The Project

Climate change is a topic that requires increasing awareness, especially among young people. The phenomenon of "eco-anxiety" is also emerging, which refers to the fear and distress caused by constant exposure to news about climate change, including predictions about the irreversibility of human actions toward nature. The World Economic Forum defines this condition as "a concern for the future that can lead to fear, anger, helplessness, exhaustion, stress, or sadness." Young people, in particular, are more vulnerable to this phenomenon (UNICEF and Eurochild, 2019), also due to the amplified impact of social media. Moreover, today's youth are facing a more uncertain future, where many certainties held by previous generations, including traditional educational and professional pathways, seem to be fading. Children and young adults are particularly exposed to the distress and mental health issues related to environmental changes (Burke et al., 2018). A global survey, which included several European countries, revealed that climate change concerns negatively affect the daily lives of nearly half of children and young people, with 75% of respondents considering their future "scary" (Marks et al., 2021; Hickman et al., 2021).

One possible antidote to this sense of helplessness is activism, as demonstrated by the growing number of young people who, inspired by Greta Thunberg’s positive movement, join environmental organizations and participate in climate conferences and summits (e.g., Youth in Action, UN). However, many young Europeans are still distant from active participation in public life, as evidenced by low voter turnout (Eurobarometer). The VOCE project aims to address these issues by giving young people the opportunity to raise their VOICE on climate change and concerns about their future through theater. This approach seeks to stimulate their sense of belonging and participation. The school context was chosen as the ideal space to impart values and education to new generations, enriched with methodologies from other sectors, such as the cultural one. In particular, experimental theater has the ability to engage participants, stimulate creativity, and help process both positive and negative emotions.

For young people, it is essential to find tools to process news about climate change and become active voices for change. Theater, especially experimental theater based on improvisation, body language, and performative expressions, can play a crucial role in this process. Additionally, theater helps strengthen self-esteem, creativity, teamwork, and critical thinking. The project’s goal is to develop a laboratory-based teaching methodology centered on theater to address climate change in an innovative way, while raising awareness among young participants and their communities.

Target Group

The direct and indirect target groups of the project are:

• STUDENTS from secondary schools (ages 14-19) in the three participating schools.

• TEACHERS from the participating schools, who will be involved in all phases of the project. In particular:

  • They will benefit from the theatrical workshops with experts, learning a methodology that they can later apply in other educational contexts.

  • They will be responsible for gathering and sharing topics of concern to students and supporting them in creating the local performances.

  • They will contribute to the creation of the final performance.

• THEATER OPERATORS, who will improve their approach to the school context and collaborate with teachers for shared learning goals.

• CITIZENS, who will indirectly benefit from the project through their participation in the local performances and the final performance. Dissemination activities will ensure that the project's message reaches a wider audience, raising awareness even beyond the participating schools' borders.