Joy, Grief, Magic: Why We Need YA Climate Stories & How to Tell Them

At a moment when climate anxiety is rising and youth are inundated with narratives of doom, the stories we tell matter more than ever.

Join author, organizer, and researcher Grace Nosek for an urgent and energizing workshop on why young people need climate stories that make room for complexity, and how to tell them well.

Drawing on over a decade of social science research and thousands of conversations with youth, Grace will unpack what young audiences are actually responding to in climate storytelling today. Together, we’ll look beyond fear-driven messaging to explore how joy, grief, imagination, and agency can coexist in climate storytelling.

Participants will:

• Learn about the poisonous stories undermining youth engagement with climate
• Get a crash course on the key social science of youth climate communications
• Reflect on their own internal climate stories
• Experiment with ways of incorporating these learnings into their storytelling

This workshop is designed for writers, educators, organizers, and anyone interested in meaningfully engaging youth around climate change. Young writers are especially welcome.

To ensure event attendance and to help us cover costs, this event is $10. Please RSVP here to reserve your spot. If you are experiencing barriers to attend, please reach out over email. We’re happy to provide you with one of our scholarship spots.

More about the facilitator:

Dr. Grace Nosek is an author, organizer, and scholar focusing on climate change and democracy. As a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Toronto, she researched novel strategies to inoculate youth against climate despair, and co-authored the City of Toronto’s Youth Climate Engagement Strategy. Grace’s research has been supported by Fulbright, Killam, and Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation scholarships, and she holds a BA from Rice University, a law degree from Harvard Law School, and a Master of Laws and PhD in law from the University of British Columbia. Grace has drawn from her research to write a young adult climate fantasy novel - Rootbound (think Greta Thunberg meets Percy Jackson) - and she’s never met a dance party she didn’t want to join.

More about Upstart & Crow:

Upstart & Crow is a not-for-profit creative studio and literary incubator that champions writers, readers and stories, and the role they play in shaping our lives. We develop original programs, support artists and revel in creative projects focused on Literature In Translation / Climate Solutions / Poetry / Civic Dialogue / Community & Skills Building … all with the aim of elevating the role of literature and storytelling in our lives. Find us on Granville Island, Gibsons and online at upstartandcrow.com.

Accessibility:

The main studio of our shop is accessible for folks with mobility aids. There is a washroom on the main floor available for attendees.

Questions: hello[at]upstartandcrow.com.

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