Buzzing about bees: Examining action-based storytelling as a tool for connection, empathy and agency

Portus, Rosamund; Sara, Williams

Abstract

Linked to the understanding that feeling connected with nature is critical for supporting children’s environmental care and consciousness, how to support pathways for nature connectedness is a key focus within environmental education. Building on conversations about inclusive nature connection strategies, this talk will share a project which considered how storytelling methods might support both children’s emotional connection with and sense of agency to help protect more-than-human species. We will first present our work to develop an action-based storytelling workshop for children which was inspired by research in neuroscience and psychology which explores the need to transform environmental storytelling to focus on ‘actions’ not ‘issues’. Specifically, this workshop combined theatre and practical activities to share knowledge about bees’ lives and the current challenges they face. We will proceed to share findings from research conducted with children who took part in nine workshops in schools across the Southwest of England. Drawing on group conversations and surveys conducted with participating children, we will show how this workshop model supported children’s empathy for and emotional connection with bees, as well as their sense of agency and motivation to support bee populations. Through sharing this research, we will advocate the need to foster alternative pathways towards nature connection for children which are fundamentally inclusive in nature, and propose action-based storytelling formats as having significant value for supporting this aim. Linked to this, we will end through sharing our creation of a tool which can be used to guide future action-based storytelling workshops.
 

• Presentation Conference Type: Presentation / Talk
• Conference Name: Nature Connections
• Start Date: Jun 16, 2025
• End Date: Jun 17, 2025
• Acceptance Date: Apr 4, 2025
• Deposit Date: Jun 18, 2025
• Peer Reviewed: Not Peer Reviewed
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/14578550