It’s Showtime: Voicing

out about Ecosystems

The natural environment is changing, and
people are worried about what it means for the
future. That worry, which is increasingly
becoming severe enough to cause distress and
dysfunction, is called eco anxiety.

The American Psychological Association and

ecoAmerica have defined eco-anxiety (aka
climate anxiety) as “a chronic fear of
environmental doom.” This fear can stem from
direct experience of extreme weather events
and environmental change (e.g., floods, forest
fires, hurricanes, drought) or exposure to
climate change information through news
media and other sources.

But how does eco-anxiety appear in and shape

our lives? Or our work on Decidim?

Speculative
 Instructions
Create a short theater script (1-2 pages) that
explores or demonstrates how eco-anxiety
affects individuals or communities. Focus on
how this relates to public policy or the city i.e.
dry public pools in the summer, flash flooding
etc.

Consider incorporating moments of tension,

vulnerability, and reflection as characters
navigate their hopes, fears, and possible actions
in response to an uncertain future perhaps
even with or in a Decidim community setting.
Consider:
How do the characters respond to this
anxiety—do they take action, avoid the
topic, or attempt to support one another?
What role do media, environmental events,
and local realities play in shaping their
perspectives?
Can there be moments of connection or
resilience despite the overwhelming fear?

Experiment with humor, drama, or surreal

elements to capture the complex emotions
surrounding eco-anxiety. The script can be as
realistic or as imaginative as you like!
Speculative
Ignore or change any of the instructions above!
 Decidim: After the
Apocalypse
In a distant future where society has long been
shaped by climate change that has reshaped
coastlines and continents, a group of curious
teenage friends on a digital expedition stumble
upon an ancient digital archive. Hidden within
is a platform called Decidim, once used to
empower citizens to engage in collective
decision-making and co-create their
communities. Intrigued, the friends explore the
archived pages of Decidim. As they delve
deeper, they begin to wonder why such a
powerful tool fell into obscurity and how they
might revive its principles in their own world.
Inspired, by moving series of proposals and
messages in the archive they embark on a
journey to bring *Decidim* back to life,
envisioning a future where everyone can once
again shape the decisions that impact their
lives.

Speculative
 Instructions
Create a collection of artifacts through images, illustration,
or writing that the teenagers might find within the Decidim
archive. These artifacts should reflect the diverse voices and
aspirations of the citizens who once used the platform. What
will you have wanted Decidim to reflect about Ecology and
possible futures?
Artifact Ideas to Explore:
1. Proposal Documents: Draft proposals for community
projects or policy changes that demonstrate the
innovative ideas and priorities of past citizens. Consider
incorporating illustrations, sketches, or visual designs.
2. Messages and Letters: Write personal messages or
letters from individuals to their communities, expressing
hopes, concerns, and dreams for a better future. These
can be heartfelt or passionate calls to action.
3. Digital Badges or Tokens: Create digital badges or tokens
that represent community achievements, participation,
or advocacy in the past around ecology. What symbols or
designs would resonate with the principles of collective
action?
4. Memories of Events: Blogs about community events or
gatherings that once took place, including details of
workshops, discussions, or celebrations that confronted
climate change.
Capture your artifacts on a page in the form of collage, list, or
story

Ignore or change any of the instructions above!

Speculative
 Climate Citizen
Assemblies + Federation
Today Political advocacy campaigns on the
application of the results of the Citizen
Assemblies are a driving force of political
decision-making, shaping the future of our
planet. Ordinary people, experts, politicians,
activists, etc. have come together in local
deliberative assemblies across Europe and
beyond.
They propose bold climate policies and hold
governments accountable for their
implementation. A federated network of these
assemblies connects across borders, forming a
powerful citizens' lobby that challenges
corporate interests and entrenched political
systems.
With widespread collaboration and sustained
support, this movement reshapes democracy
itself, empowering citizens to reclaim their
futures and address the climate crisis head-on.

Real World Cases

 Instructions
Envision a transformative, Europe-wide
network of citizen assemblies united in the
fight for climate action and democratic
renewal. You are just at the beginning.

Create a participatory process to design citizen

assemblies that empower citizens to take direct
action, advocate for climate justice, and
challenge entrenched systems.

This process should seed local assemblies to

develop a grassroots European citizens' lobby to
pressure institutions, challenge corporate
interests, and reshape political accountability
from the bottom up. This is a call to action for
collaboration, demanding greater participation
and systemic transformation, both within and
beyond current democratic structures.
What design phases would there be?
What components or activities would you
use to meet, co-create, make decisions, and
share?
How might this process serve as a model for
local assemblies?
Use the canvas and components provided to
map what this might look like.

Real World Cases

 Guerilla Gardening and
Decidim
Guerrilla gardening is the act of gardening –
raising food, plants, or flowers – on land that
the gardeners do not have the legal rights to
cultivate, such as abandoned sites, areas that
are not being cared for, or private property. It
encompasses a diverse range of people and
motivations, ranging from gardeners who spill
over their legal boundaries to gardeners with a
political purpose, who seek to provoke change
by using guerrilla gardening as a form of
protest or direct action.

How might we approach Decidim like a guerilla

garden? What forms of direct action could we
create and change can we inspire by speaking
out about climate change?

Speculative
 Instructions
Envision starting a guerilla gardening
campaign in your group whether digital or
offline. What would be the aim? How might
you work together? What would you grow and
where? What environmental issues would you
want to address with your guerilla gardening?

Collaborate on how you would translate your

guerilla gardening campaign onto Decidim.
Would you develop your own decidim and
establish principles or values together using
the platform? Make decisions? Would you use
your campaign to make a proposal to the city
you live in on Decidim? Would you go on Meta-
decidim to make a new proposal for a
commitment to the environment and use your
gardening to make a point?!

Create a poster inviting people to join your

campaign explaining why they should join and
the relevance of your planting and actions.
What Decidim related call to action might you
include? ¡Have fun! Make a manifesto, collage,
tell us a story.

Ignore or change any of the instructions above!

Speculative
 Mapping Her Legacy:
Gender and Data for
Climate Justice
Data is essential to achieving the goals
expressed by advocates and policymakers
around International Women’s Day. Yet we are
still grappling to collect and use data that
highlights the unique experiences of women
and girls, reveals barriers to gender equality,
and illustrates what works to improve the lives
of women and girls. This lack of data not only
restricts effective programming, perpetuates
gender inequalities, and masks the history and
participation of women as climate defenders.

However, throughout history, many women

have courageously fought to protect the earth,
often at great personal risk. Sadly, too many
have lost their lives in defense of their lands,
communities, and the environment. This
mapping exercise is a chance to honor their
stories, preserve their legacies, and ensure
their courage is remembered.

Real World Cases

 Instructions
Create a visual map that tells the story of women
climate defenders who have lost their lives in the fight
for environmental justice. Use this map to not only
highlight their names and locations but also the
ecosystems and communities they sought to protect.
Think about how you can represent their struggles
and visions for the future, as well as the
interconnectedness of their efforts globally.
Ideas for your map
Personalize the Map: Each marker can symbolize a
woman, her cause, and the unique climate issue
she was defending (e.g., forests, water, land rights).
Interconnected Stories: Show how these
defenders’ work connects to global environmental
struggles. How are their battles part of a larger
narrative?
Creative Elements: Consider using art, symbols
(e.g., poetry, quotes, drawings) to tell their stories
in a way that resonates emotionally.
Contextual Layers: Add layers to the map that
show the different forms of resistance and
activism that these women led, the social and
political challenges they faced, and the legacies
they’ve left behind in their communities.
Use this map as both a tribute and a call to action.
These women fought for the future of the planet—how
can their stories inspire us to act today?

Ignore or change any of the instructions above!

Real World Cases