#YourClimateStory

You might think that we are too young to know about the risks and realities of climate change. But we see its effects in our daily lives.

Gertrude, 16, Tanzania.

Climate change is a massive, global issue. However, while dealing with this large-scale threat, we often ignore the individual voices of young people and the way their daily lives are being impacted by the climate crisis. Through this project, we seek to hand a (metaphorical) microphone to all young people out there, and give them a platform to creatively explore and share their personal experiences and struggles.

Sharing and reading these personal stories and poems capturing the impact of climate change on the everyday life of young people can allow us to broaden our mental horizons, build connections, cultivate empathy, and collectively construct a rich mosaic of words, art, and experiences that can allow us to map this fast-paced change. It is only by acknowledging and listening to these individual stories that we can understand the bigger picture.

Therefore, through this project, Climatopia invites you to share your climate story. Tell us how you are being impacted by the climate crisis at a personal level, how you are coping, and what you think of and associate with this global threat. I invite you to add your unique voice to this movement.

Programmes:

Over the course of the next few weeks, Climatopia will be sharing writing prompts, tips, and resources on our website and social media. Follow us on Twitter and join our mailing list to keep up to speed with all updates. Young writers and activists are invited to submit their work in response to these prompts (more instructions regarding submissions are given below).
We will also be organising online workshops and webinars about writing and climate change. More details will be shared soon.

Note: The Climatopia Project is deeply aware of the structural barriers that often serve to inhibit the voices of young people from disadvantaged and marginalised communities. One of these barriers is the digital divide. However, due to constraints on movement and resources, it is currently feasible for me to conduct this project in the online mode only. Regardless, please know that Climatopia is constantly working on devising new strategies to make projects and resources accessible to more young people and to address structural factors such as rural-urban divide, gender inequality, racism, etc.

General Instructions:

Here are some points to keep in mind while participating in this project. Please make sure to read all of them.

All young people up to the age of 24 are invited to participate.
Don’t worry too much about form: we welcome writing from a wide range of genres. You may choose to write in the form of prose poems, cross genres, creative non-fiction, flash fiction, diary or journal entries, short stories, reflections, lyrics, Wikipedia articles, menus, recipes, shopping bills, newspaper reports...the sky is the limit!
Specificity and detail is valued. Try to be as specific as you can while sharing your climate story with the world by using concrete diction, vivid images, strong verbs, and/or specific examples.
Word limit for prose is 500 to 700 words. Poems should not exceed 50 lines.
All entries must be mainly written in English. You may include phrases in other languages, as long as the main body of the piece is in English.
The prompts are intended only to serve as jumping off-points for your writing. Please feel free to interpret them in any way you like. Also, please note that you don’t have to respond directly to these prompts in your writing. As long as you capture your personal connection to the climate crisis in your work, you are good to go!
We aim to collate all the entries we receive in an anthology and/or publish them on our website. this, however, is subject to the number of entries we receive.
The copyright of the work will remain with the author. However, by sending us your work, you grant The Climatopia Project to publish and broadcast your work in perpetuity.
The deadline for all submissions is 30th September, 2022.
All entries must be original. Plagiarism is not tolerated. Please cite any work that you may have incorporated in your piece.
The Climatopia Project will not accept work that discriminates against any group of people.
We do not accept previously published work.
Submit your entries as a PDF file to theclimatopiaproject@gmail.com with the subject line 'YourClimateStory: Submission'. Please make sure to include your full name.
If you would like us to add you to our mailing list, please include "Add me" in the subject line of your email as well.
Only one entry per participant is accepted.
Please feel free to contact us or email us if you have any questions or concerns. I look forward to receiving your work!