Launch of the BluePrint Toolkit: Bridging Creativity and Climate Risk Communication through Co-creation
The BluePrint Toolkit is a key output of the Creative Ireland funded project BluePrint. Engaged researchers Lydia Cumiskey and Denise McCullagh at MaREI, University College Cork (UCC) led the project with partners The Playhouse, Derry City and Strabane District Council and Mayo County Council, alongside collaborators, Atlantic Seaboard North Climate Action Regional Office and Climate Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland Environment Link.
Artist Sara (Sally) Walmsley worked with flood affected communities in Newtownstewart, Co. Tyrone and Eglinton, Co. Derry-Londonderry to capture their lived experience and co-create risk communication materials (including song, poetry and a sound installation) used for dissemination among policymakers and communities.
Facilitated by UCC, the project supported an All-Island Learning Exchange between Derry City and Strabane District and Mayo to exchange and capture the learning from the artistic co-creation process and make it accessible and digestible to other local authorities.
Through this journey, local authority representatives have gained knowledge on the power of the arts, as highlighted by Laura Dixon, Climate Action Coordinator, Mayo County Council.
“ I now have a better understanding of how Arts can break down barriers which can be difficult to do with facts. It allows for more emotional connection and conversation and becomes a more inclusive space for discussing climate impacts and resilience. “
The project enabled access to new powerful risk communication tools and created a platform for communities to engage with policymakers as highlighted by Cathy Burns, Green Infrastructure Lead – Climate & Biodiversity, Derry City and Strabane District Council
“For me it’s the local accent, it’s real people singing in their words. I keep saying we need to put the heart and soul back into conversations. It’s not just about finance and stats. And that does it for me – it’s amazing.”
This learning is now captured in the Toolkit to inspire future artistic co-creation and partnership between government authorities, artists, researchers and communities at-risk. We share guidance and tips for setting up a project partnership, implementing a co-creation process with communities to generate creative outputs, and developing pathways to resilience with communities through continued dissemination and collaboration.
In particular, this guidance is targeted to support and inform the work of local authorities and other agencies working on climate action, but may be utilised by a range of stakeholders.
The BluePrint project is a recipient of the Creative Climate Action fund, an initiative from the Creative Ireland Programme. It is funded by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media in collaboration with the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communication.
