ECOMANIA

One of the Ecomania posters

Somerhill Junior School, Hove, took part in the Creative Partnerships Enquiry Schools programme; their focus was on:

How can we harness our children’s passion for environmental issues, working creatively in order to develop their communication and collaborative learning skills?
The aim of the project was to explore the exciting crossover areas where art and science meet and invigorate each other; to provide real opportunities for children to make a difference as creative thinkers, scientists and environmental campaigners; to build on high levels of interest in environmental issues to develop children’s collaboration and communication skills.

More than 60 children drawn from across the school undertook an environmental 'campaign', culminating in a high-profile community performing arts event, “Ecomania”, in early April. A crucial role early on was the think-tank which worked with James Greyson to develop a series of powerful and searching survey questions. These questions were aimed at identifying barriers to ‘being green’ amongst the adults in the school as well as the wider community and to establish the exact focus for the campaign.