Education & Advocacy
Education, advocacy and youth empowerment through our 100 Creative Agents of Climate Change online residency programme (2024 - 2028), building on our Gulbenkian Civic Arts Prize winning programme in 2022, aiming to impact thousands of young people and engage them in the movement.
100 CREATIVE AGENTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE
About the Project
100 Creative Agents of Climate Change is a new art and activism project connecting change-makers from around the world with young people aged 18-30 to develop their skills, knowledge and capacity in building creative campaigns to mobilise communities in the fight against climate change.
The project saw the delivery of an online residency attended by 100 young people and focused on understanding and communicating the current and future threats to our climate. Participants applied for seed funding and mentoring to take ideas from the online residency into their communities through creative climate activism projects. Over a dozen young people were supported in communicating ideas about climate change through artforms like fashion, print-making, music, and film.
Benefits to Young People
01
Empowering Youth
1 young person from each partner organisation will receive £100 to participate in the Youth Advisory Board. They will be instrumental in the co-curation of the project, developing their knowledge of climate activism and honing skills in project design. This embeds the insight, experience and ideas of young people into the 100 Agents of Climate Change programme to ensure the project is as accessible, engaging and relevant as possible.
02
Dynamic Online Residency
An additional 9 young people from each partner organisation will attend an online residency. Programming will span talks, workshops, events, film screenings, showcases, exhibitions, live streams, gigs and more, covering a wide range of topics and opportunities relating to creative climate activism. The residency will be interactive and innovative in its approach to engagement and will create authentic and safe spaces for connection and collaboration.
03
Seed Funding for Youth-Led Climate Advocacy
10 projects led by young people will receive a total of £15,000 in seed funding to develop their climate advocacy creative community projects. Seed funding recipients will also be given the space to develop their ideas at a 4-day in-person residency at XCottage in Shepton Mallet.
04
Excellence in Inclusivity
All participants will receive a refurbished laptop to keep. 1-2-1s with an Access Support Worker are offered to all young people to identify and break down barriers. A wellbeing fund of £1,000 is available for participants to address any unexpected costs associated with taking part in the project.
05
Mentorship
20 young people from across the project will receive 1-on-1 mentoring from In Place of War’s change-maker network.
06
Networking Opportunities
Young people will have the chance to meet key environmental stakeholders, including representatives from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) at the Environmental Funders Network event in December 2024.
The online residency content was driven by In Place of War’s change maker network around the world, as well as guided by the young people involved in the programme. Interactive workshops covered a wide range of topics and skills relating to creative climate activism.
In September 2024, a 3-day in-person residency was organised for participants from 100 Creative Agents of Climate Change who were being supported to deliver their own creative climate activism projects. The residency offered participants knowledge and skills relating to topics such as organisation-building, community engagement, ecology, biomimicry and media training. Sessions were delivered by artists and activists from In Place of War’s changemaker network, bringing decades of experience from around the globe.
SEED FUNDING SPOTLIGHTS (2024 - 2025)
FINLAY CARROLL
@spreadtoofinlaywork @scatter_co
Finlay ran a four-day writing retreat at XCottage, Somerset, to develop Pete Will Save this House, a musical about eco-grief, activism, and the role of institutions in reaching net zero. Finlay worked with songwriter, Phoebe Jasper (aka NAVVY) and a scriptwriter, Holly Fitzpatrick, creating song demos, conducting focus groups with young activists, and receiving mentorship on rewilding and ecological activism from the XCottage team to inform the show's setting and artistic aims.
Finlay said of his support on 100 Creative Agents of Climate Change: “Seed funding allows me to work with more experienced and ambitious artists in my climate advocacy work. In Place Of War also introduced me to new collaborators at XCottage who ended up providing the most inspirational environment to test a collaboration in my residency.”
OLIVIA MAURER
@olivia.maurer @2050climategroup
Olivia’s project, Turning Climate Anxiety into Climate Action with Theatre of the Oppressed, invited Glasgow climate activists to explore how theatre can help to collectively work through the paralysis and apathy that climate anxiety can provoke. It also provided an opportunity for individuals to get out of their comfort zones and see how art can be used to imagine community climate action.
She summed up the 100 Creative Agents of Climate Change as Invigorating, Gratifying Challenging.
‘The support from 100 Creative Agents of Climate Change has been invaluable, as I would not have felt confident or capable enough to embark on a project like this alone.’
HOLLY CRAIG
Holly delivered workshops in her local community of Burnley, inviting residents to use visual art and writing to envision their local green spaces for improvements and show off the beautiful places on their doorsteps.
On the impact of In Place of War’s support, Holly said: “The workshop and exhibition were both a huge success and I am super grateful for getting the funding and the help to make it possible!”
She summed up the 100 Creative Agents of Climate Change project in these three words: wonderful, life-changing, helpful.
LAUREN PENCIL
Lauren created No Wasteman Magazine (@nowastemag), a print publication exploring the intersection between sustainability, community and cultural heritage.
Support from 100 Creative Agents of Climate Change gave Lauren ‘the encouragement and funding to actually realise and develop a project that I am passionate about. It has allowed me to commission and support the work of fellow creatives, meet new people and create a sense of community. The guidance from In Place of War has allowed me to be optimistic about the longevity of this project, and how I might build it and secure funding for the future.’
TALIA NIZARANE
Talia's project explores the disproportionate impact of the climate crisis on women in the Global South through storytelling and role-playing.
‘In Place of War supported my creative project from inception to completion, helped me build a network of like-minded creatives, and provided valuable mentoring and accessible resources for my art practice.’
AMINA BEG
As part of her collective, @ajeeb_studios, Amina hosted a crash course into upcycling and fashion show teaching participants how to grow self-sufficient and confident in boycotting unethical practices.
On taking part in the programme, Amina said: “The support from the 100 Creative Agents of Climate Change has been instrumental in helping me develop and realise my project. It has given me the confidence to take on challenges outside my skill set, such as upcycling textiles. This experience has not only taught me how to upcycle clothes but has also inspired me to
EMMA DE SARAM AND NATASHA PAVEY
Emma and Natasha worked together to create Bus-ted, a short film addressing climate justice by exploring the frustrations of navigating rural bus services in South West England, highlighting the disconnect between climate policies and the realities of public transport access.
Their project actively voiced the experiences of local residents who shared their opinions through a community workshop, and members of the public who were happy to speak to the camera at the bus station!
CAMILLE LIBBY
Working with local artists and residents of @dovestreetcommunity, Camille created a collaborative mural, bringing people together to talk about local problems and solutions and the importance of community in tackling climate change.
Camille said of working with In Place of War ‘All the support through being able to ask questions and discuss ideas enabled the project to be realised. Without this, I wouldn’t have had the confidence to carry out this project. The funding enabled design sessions, food, drink and painting to be free for participants, which was so important in getting everyone involved.’
100 Creative Agents of Climate Change at Parliament
June 11th 2025 (London, UK)
In Place of War hosts 100 Creative Agents of Climate Change, an event in Parliament supported by MPs Kerry McCarthy and James Frith, where young climate leaders will share their art-based ideas for tackling environmental issues. This event will highlight an important step in youth-driven climate action.
Event Highlights:
A panel discussion, followed by Q&A with key UK decision-makers
Short speeches by Kerry McCarthy MP, James Frith MP, David Saddington (Climate Change Communicator), Luís Correia (Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation), Susan O'Shea (Manchester Metropolitan University), and Ruth Daniel (CEO, In Place of War)
A multimedia showcase of creative strategies for environmental action, including films, printed work, photography, and theatre
Live music performed by In Place of War partners, including Jon McClure (Reverend and the Makers) and other special guests
Networking with Vicky McClure and Jon McClure’s Day Fever Soundsystem
Partners
Young people taking part in 100 Creative Agents of Climate Change are recruited through partnerships with 10 partner organisations.
