Once upon a time … This is how fairy tales connect and heal
Written by Meta Pezdir
Did you know that according to the Ipsos report 70% of people are worried about the climate? Over the last decade, I have been deeply engaged in climate-related topics, and I have witnessed a significant rise in climate-related anxiety. The Handbook of Climate Psychology defines climate anxiety as a 'heightened emotional, mental, or somatic distress in response to dangerous changes in the climate system’. It is understandable to feel a sense of urgency, especially as we observe the tangible effects of climate change and recognize our unpreparedness in addressing these challenges.
Shifting the fear-based narrative surrounding climate change
This May, I reconnected with Gilberto Morishaw after five years. Fueled by our shared passion and energy, we quickly decided to take action to change the narrative around climate change. The current discourse is often daunting and vague, which does not effectively motivate people to remain calm and proactively seek innovative solutions. “This is why the narrative must be changed,” we concluded, and established our 'Fairytales of Hope' initiative.
Fairytales: A Beacon in the Darkness
Fairytales have historically served as a source of light amidst darkness, as noted by Marina Warner. They are a profound and invaluable creation of human history and culture, offering a magical means of conveying wisdom across generations while reflecting the context of their origins. Inspired by this, Gilberto and I designed a workshop centered around fairytales.
Our objective was to guide participants in connecting with their local environment, understanding their climate-related fears, crafting a hopeful narrative to address these fears, and, importantly, having fun in the process.
The Transformative Workshop Experience
We conducted a pilot workshop with a diverse group of participants from Curaçao, Sweden, Italy, the Netherlands, Slovenia, England, Turkey, and the USA. The workshop began with reading local fairytales, which served as a foundation for exploring our climate-related anxieties. The exchange of experiences and ideas from different parts of the world was enlightening. However, the true transformation occurred when we started writing.
In the second part of the workshop, we discussed the structure of fairytales and then began crafting our own. In just 15 minutes, we created six enchanting worlds—from deserts to tropical forests. Each participant wrote an extraordinary fairytale set in their home environment, featuring a local magical creature that helped them confront their greatest climate fear.
Creating Fairytales of Hope
Before concluding the workshop, we shared our stories with one another, fostering a deeper understanding of our respective homelands, folklore, and the unique challenges posed by climate change. Notably, each fairytale concluded on a hopeful note, presenting concrete, sometimes magical, solutions that enabled the characters to live happily ever after.
Recognizing the value of these stories, we decided to proofread and illustrate them over the summer. By early fall, the Global Fairytales of Hope collection will be available for everyone to read and draw inspiration from.
This is how you can join us in creating Fairytales of Hope
We invite you to participate in our next pilot workshop and contribute to this initiative. Follow us on Lilalab’s Instagram, LinkedIn, or our website to stay updated on the upcoming workshop dates.
You can also support the project by funding it! We seek funding and new trainers to support our work and the distribution of our fairytales. If you are interested in supporting us or joining our team, please get in touch. We would be delighted to collaborate with you. <3
