An opportunity to gain key learnings about the use of Participatory Video projects to tackle Climate Change and amplify the voices of those affected by it

The conference was a chance to gain insights and experiences from the Climatubers’ members who have been at the forefront of the implementation of the Participatory Video as an innovative tool to approach climate change education, foster climate action and promote social inclusion.

The project Climatubers, funded by the European Union under the Erasmus+ program, has organized a conference about innovative methodologies for education and climate action through Participatory Video. The conference took place November 24th at 9:45 a.m. at Espai Jove Fontana, Barcelona, with up to 25 attendees in person and 16 online attendees. Among the attendees counted environmental and social workers from local administrations, participatory video practitioners, representants of NGOs and other associations, and teachers.

A series of case studies where presented accompanied by a screening of the Participatory Videos, altogether with a series of presentations that allowed to take a deep look into the lessons learned and the policy recommendations extracted from the Climatubers experiences. Specific focus was given in exploring the impact of the Participatory Video approach on inclusivity and amplifying the voices of local communities.

This was followed by a round table with experts and decision-makers that welcomed questions from the public, and that discussed opportunities and challenges of the use of Participatory Video. The round table was an opportunity to bring together decision-makers, experts, practitioners, and the public to share their experiences and learnings, as well to explore the transformative potential of Participatory Video in addressing climate change, promoting sustainability, and fostering social inclusion.

A working session followed, organized to identify and overcome together the challenges of the implementation of the Participatory Video methodology. Two sessions occurred in parellel: one group discussed decision-making and how to better interconnect climate change policies and social policies to allow for climate mitigation and adaptation among the vulnerable communities, while the other group worked on how to implement Participatory Video for climate action. Finally both groups shared their thoughts.

The need of capacity building by decisionmakers, the vulnerable communities’ perception of lacking their legitimacy, apathy towards climate change, engaging facilitators in training and involving with their community, the lack of resources by education centers where some of the challenges identified during the round table and the working session.

In essence, the event offered a unique opportunity for professionals, educators, activists, and anyone interested in climate action to learn, engage, and network around the field of Participatory Video.

The European Commission’s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency Erasmus+ programme under grant agreement No. 621393-EPP-1-2020-1-ES-EPP KA03-IPI-SOC-IN (Project ID 400621393).