Theater proves surprisingly effective at teaching kids about climate goals
A new study finds that children's theater productions can meaningfully engage young audiences with UN sustainability targets—and that emotional storytelling works better than facts alone. The finding suggests creative narratives, not just data, may be key to shifting attitudes on climate and development among the next generation of consumers and voters.
Originaltitel: Creative arts for sustainability transformations—Exploring children’s theater for the UN Sustainable Development Goals
<p>This article responds to recent calls for more creative expressions of climate and sustainabilitytransformations. In particular, research literature argues that the formulation of new narratives ofsustainable societies may function as a prominent intervention for system changes. Yet, few empiricalstudies exist on how creative climate and sustainability storytelling elicit varying levels of awareness andengagement. With the intention to advance scholarship in the role of narratives to create engagement withsustainability transformations, this study investigates children’s theater for the UN Sustainable DevelopmentGoals (SDGs) as one research site. By analyzing the interactive children’s theater play “Esmeralda and theDragon—The Global Sustainability Goals,”we show that creative storytelling can offer a meaningful space forengagement with Agenda 2030 and the UN SDGs. In particular, we find that (1) children’s cognitive andemotional associations and experiences shape the meaning of and responses to the SDGs and (2) the play’sfictional elements resonate with children’s emotional frameworks. Based on the results, we argue that newstories are needed for sustainability transformations and that there is transformative power in the creativeand performance arts in this respect, and we call for further exploration of various publics engagements withsustainability storytelling.</p>