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Mapping dreams of the future

When you were in grade six, what did you imagine the future would be?

Fresh! A Map of a Dream of a Future (Fresh) was an ambitious two and a half year long collaboration by Tasmanian Regional Arts and the University of Tasmania to engage young people, academics and the arts community to develop a positive vision for addressing climate change issues in the future.

Program creator, Associate Professor Elaine Stratford said the Fresh curriculum uses stories and a series of art-based activities to encourage participants to think about climate change solutions.

"The Fresh curriculum has been sent to every year five and six class in Tasmania and deployed through regional art gallery holiday programs," Associate Professor Elaine Stratford said.

"Based in 2090 in a low tech coastal setting, Fresh explores the themes food and water, shelter, transport and migration through the story of three kids, Ruby, Kené and you."A hanging art installation at the National Regional Arts Conference 2010 in Launceston

In classrooms across Tasmania, a themed story on each of the topics was read aloud to students who were then encouraged to produce stories, drawings and postcards for key decision makers in their communities

The students were also asked to answer a two page questionnaire on various matters related to climate change. Their answers were used by artist Nic Low to develop a virtual world for the Junction 2010 National Regional Arts Conference, held in Launceston last September.

Nic created an extraordinary hanging garden installation at the Conference, where each plant, suspended over water, represented a young person’s response to the climate change questionnaire.

Young arts workers, Heidi Douglas, Josie Hurst and Nadine Kessler, ran several Fresh workshops in a number of regional communities for young people to stimulate creative ideas and solutions to climate change issues. The resulting artworks were displayed in exhibitions of interest to parents and local communities.  

The Tasmanian Climate Change Office was a proud sponsor of the Fresh! A Map of a Dream of a Future project. Other sponsors included the Department of Education, the Federal Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Arts Tasmania and the Australian National Commission for UNESCO.

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