The Canada 2080 workshops: An arts-based classroom activity to support climate change education

Abstract

Research has shown that youth are aware and concerned about climate change; however, traditional approaches to climate change education sometimes fail to adequately address learners’ affective responses to the learning process. Between September 2023 and March 2024, 21 workshops were delivered based on principles of positive psychology, and arts-based methodologies (Art Hives) were delivered to students aged 9 to 25 in classrooms across Canada. The workshops aimed to foster an environment where students envisioned a positive future for themselves, their communities or their country, which they depicted through creative arts and imaginative storytelling. More than a thousand students participated (n = 1067) in a workshop, and nearly everyone (n = 1064 or 99%) was able to complete the workshop, imagining potential solutions to climate change and ways in which the world might look or feel more hopeful in the future. This practice report shares the design and delivery of the workshop, offering reflections about how the workshops may be repeated or adapted in future based on teacher and facilitator feedback.