Earth Day Poetry Slam
We believe we can re-write our future.
The problem
The effects of our rapidly changing climate are evident worldwide. Extreme weather events are occurring with increasing frequency. Already the climate crisis is affecting the ecological and socio-economic stability of our societies. We need higher education institutions to undertake urgent climate leadership to help us re-imagine life on earth.
Our approach
The International Universities Climate Alliance (IUCA) Poetry Slam and Climate Conference celebrated Earth Day 2023 with an international poetry slam festival, focused on Re-imagining Our World, which mobilised the power of storytelling to combat the contemporary climate crisis. It asked students, staff and community from universities across the globe to share their visions for a fairer, more sustainable world through slam poetry.
Slam poetry is a form of performance poetry that does not conform to traditional poetic structures. It fuses theatrical and literary elements within an expressive, free-flowing form, transporting you directly into the world of the poet. Slam poetry is rising in international popularity.
The festival hosted workshops with experienced slam poets to develop participants’ skills and confidence in performance poetry and culminated in an international online poetry slam competition.
Students explored how we could reshape our lifestyles and consumption behaviours; how we could redirect climate justice to those dealing with the crisis’s worst effects; how we could re-imagine cultural, technological or local solutions, or even redefine life as an eco-civilisation. It empowered student dialogue on climate change through an event that was inclusive, friendly and fun.
The outcomes
The Poetry Slam and Climate Conference is part of the Innovation Hub’s ongoing partnership with IUCA. The top 20 slam poems were selected by the festival host organisers and posted to Instagram. The slam poems receiving the most likes were identified as finalists. Posters and recordings of the six competition finalists were exhibited at the Climate Museum in Hong Kong.
Project partners
- International Universities Climate Alliance (IUCA), connecting more than 50 universities around the world to promote climate education and action.
- Climate Students Movement, advocating internationally for brave climate leadership.
- World Poetry Slam Organisation
Work with us
The UNSW Innovation Hub tackles diverse problem-solving projects, varying in size, complexity and subject matter. We specialise in complex challenges that require collaboration, a design-led approach, and that can’t be addressed by a single discipline.
If you have a project proposal or potential partnership that you would like to discuss, please get in touch.
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