Mayo County Council And Partners To Host All-Island Learning Workshop Focused On Exploring Creativity And Co-Creation To Communicate Climate Risks

Date: 24-06-2024

Mayo County Council and its partners MaREI, University College Cork, Derry City and Strabane District Council and Playhouse Derry will be hosting an All-Island learning workshop focused on exploring creativity and co-creation to communicate climate risks next month.

‘The event ‘Sharing Experiences from Derry, Tyrone, Mayo and Beyond,’ will take place in the Enterprise Centre in Crossmolina on Friday, July 5th, 2024.

The workshop will bring together flood-affected communities from Mayo, Derry and Tyrone, as well as scientific partners, creative practitioners, and government representatives to exchange learning on communicating climate risk and building community resilience.

This workshop aims to explore the value of creative approaches to share communities’ experiences, and support dialogue and communication around climate change. The participants will learn about the current ongoing co-creation process with communities in Eglinton and Newtownstewart, Derry City and Strabane District Council Area, through the Creative Climate Action Fund II Project Blueprint. Additionally, the workshop will draw on experiences from other projects such as Ripple. 

This initiative is a collaborative effort led by MaREI, University College Cork, in partnership with Mayo County Council, Derry City and Strabane District Council, and the Playhouse Derry.

Local collaborators in the event will include the Crossmolina Community Services Programme (CSP), Crossmolina Community Council CLG and the Atlantic Seaboard North Climate Action Regional Office.

The project is funded by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport, and Media, in collaboration with the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, through the Creative Climate Action Fund, an initiative of the Creative Ireland Programme. Mayo County Council is supplying added support to facilitate the workshop logistics.

A key element will be a guided walk in Crossmolina with flood-affected community representatives and artists, to explore flood resilience measures, as well as discussions focused on the challenges and opportunities of using art and creativity to communicate climate risks.

The workshop will contribute to the development of a Creative Co-creation Toolkit as part of the Blueprint project. This toolkit will serve as a resource for local governments, artists, researchers, and others interested in collaborating creatively with communities to enhance climate risk communication and community resilience.