EcoSlam

Initial situation

Many people, young and old, feel the need to express their emotions in the face of ecological crises, and to put words to the (non)transitions underway. Within a master’s degree in environmental sciences, the analysis carried out by the teacher showed that spaces for learning, exchanging and sharing about ecological crises were often either very formal (e.g., courses, conferences) or very informal (e.g., private circles). What’s more, they are generally oriented towards a theoretical rather than emotional approach, and almost never combine the creative production dimension with that of scientific diagnosis.

Developed within the framework of the University of Geneva’s Cultural Activities, EcoSlam workshops support these observations and respond to the need for informal spaces for exchange. The aim is to use the exchange, writing and speaking techniques of slam - an art of oratory that invites everyone to reappropriate language to speak about what moves them and is close to their hearts - to help participants write and share their own texts. Launched in 2022, this series of workshops has enabled some twenty students, collaborators and externs to discover or perfect writing techniques to put their concerns into words, and to share personal, powerful texts with a wider audience.

Project implementation

The content of 7 Eco-Slam workshops, each lasting 2 hours, has been developed. They have been designed to meet the specific expectations of their target audience, members of the Unige university community who wish to learn how to write and share their own texts on ecological crises. The workshop exercises were developed based on academic readings and listening to numerous podcasts, slams and raps. Facilitation was based on theater, improvisation and yoga exercises.

During each workshop, participants were guided through the writing of a slam in three stages:

Physico-buccal warm-up (15 min): After a brief presentation of the day’s theme, participants are invited to get into movement and voice with rhythm, listening, breathing and speaking exercises. This step helps create the bond and climate of trust necessary for writing.

Emotional warm-up (15 min): Participants are invited to answer a personal question in pairs, through an active listening and sharing exercise (e.g.: “When I think about the state of the planet, I feel…”).

Getting started with writing and writing (1 hour): Based on guided writing exercises, participants are invited to write a text around writing suggestions and a theme.

These various stages lead to a slam-style reading of the texts (facing the audience, with animation between passages, applause and support). Depending on time, a collective feedback session can be organized.

At the same time, participants wanted to go beyond the workshops and share their texts with a wider audience. This took the form of three initiatives: the production of a written collection of EcoSlam entitled “Slam à Terre”, the organization of slam scenes (e.g., as part of Climate Week, the launch of the Marche Bleue at Unige, and at Carouge’s Jardin des Moraires) and the organization of EcoSlam workshops by the participants.

Thoughts and advice

The format of learning and writing via slam techniques poses several challenges. While content must be shared on the main themes (e.g. ecological crises), a great deal of freedom must be left to participants to make the material their own. Thus, the pedagogical approach must be based more on suggestions for writing and exchange than on sharing scientific data and very precise instructions.

Real facilitation skills are needed to guide such workshops. Warm-up exercises, the animation of the slam scene, and the development of playful writing exercises are all aspects of creating an informal but relevant environment for exchange, writing and sharing. It’s all about creating a space of trust for everyone, which means continually adapting to individual needs (e.g., more writing exercises or feedback for some, less framework for others).

However, for those working at the crossroads between teaching and the world of performance or animation, this type of workshop represents a highly relevant pedagogical entry point for helping participants to take hold of complex themes, develop critical and contrasting reflections through writing texts, put words to their emotions, and gain the confidence to share them in front of an audience.

A pedagogical content has been created and developed as part of the EcoSlam workshops. The content is unprecedented: a structure, numerous exercises, writing themes and a method have been developed from the cross-fertilization of stage workshop facilitation techniques and the analysis of scientific literature on ecological crises. A current project involves consolidating and disseminating this educational content in the form of videos, websites or fact sheets. This would enable a greater number of teachers and members of civil society to take up EcoSlam workshops and organize them independently. The idea is to disseminate the EcoSlam method so that everyone can take it up and develop it further.

Student feedback

“The workshop enables a group of people interested in the theme of ecological crises to progressively share with each other, develop their writing and participate in creatively and socially rewarding events (scenes internal or external to the workshop, poetry collections, etc.).” “The workshop’s greatest strength is that it offers a space for expression and reflection in relation to the ecological crisis. It enabled me to work on my anxieties, and to enjoy writing and meeting other slammers. I’d do the workshop again without hesitation. ” “[this workshop gave me] a way to express myself, inspiration, a place and time dedicated to creation, hope, a network, a new hobby.” “I was able to gain confidence in my legitimacy to speak about global/generational causes that concern us all.”