Online workshop empowers rural participants through visual storytelling for climate action
On November 5, 2025, the RurALL project hosted an online workshop titled “Telling the Change: Visual Storytelling for Rural Climate Action”, bringing together over 250 registered participants from rural territories, NGOs, youth groups, environmental activists, and other underrepresented voices - from more than 40 countries across the EU and beyond. The session aimed to strengthen active citizenship in rural areas by equipping participants with creative tools to communicate their experiences, advocate for climate justice, and influence both local and European decision-making.
The workshop introduced visual storytelling as a powerful catalyst for environmental and social mobilisation. Through an accessible and interactive format, participants explored how personal and community stories can drive real impact both online and offline. The workshop was grounded in participatory pedagogy, encouraging peer learning, critical reflection, and the co-creation of narratives rooted in real-life experiences. The session covered key elements of effective storytelling: how to structure compelling narratives, understand audiences, build emotional resonance, and adapt messages to digital platforms. Real examples of impactful campaigns were presented to illustrate how rural voices, when shared with intention and creativity, can meaningfully shape climate conversations.
Participants engaged in practical exercises throughout the workshop, including crafting a “super short story” and developing ideas for social‑media‑ready storytelling formats. These collaborative moments encouraged creativity, collective learning, and the exchange of diverse rural perspectives. Designed to resonate with rural realities, the session was adapted in real-time based on participants’ contributions and needs. Attendees left equipped not only with inspiration, but with a practical toolkit of storytelling strategies tailored for social media, local campaigns, and community engagement. They also received a detailed handbook and visual guide to support the development of their own storytelling projects.
To deepen engagement, the workshop introduced a final creative challenge - “My RurALL Story” - inviting participants to produce a short visual narrative about sustainable rural futures. Submissions may take the form of Instagram carousels, short videos, posters, spoken‑word pieces, illustrations, or other creative formats. Participants are encouraged to share their work on social media using the hashtag #rurALLstory and to mention their community or region name. All submissions will receive individual feedback from the facilitator, and selected stories may be featured in a European digital campaign about the future of rural territories.
For three weeks following the workshop, participants gain access to a collaborative Padlet board to share their stories, explore others’ contributions, and receive mentoring and feedback from the trainer, climate justice journalist and activist Joana Guerra Tadeu. To support this process, an additional live mentorship session was held, offering space to discuss ideas, ask questions, and receive personalised feedback on participants’ stories-in-progress.
The workshop demonstrated how storytelling can amplify rural perspectives, inspire collective action and strengthen democratic participation. By supporting communities in transforming local experiences into global messages, RurALL continues to empower rural citizens to shape more just and sustainable futures. This project, funded by the European Commission and running from 2024 to 2026, brings together partners from Hungary, Slovakia, France, Spain and Portugal, with the goal of promoting the participation of rural communities in discussions, actions and decision-making related to environmental and climate issues.