by Judith Sünderhauf

From September 2022 the BKJ (German Federation for Arts Education and Cultural Learning) organized and hosted a further education program for cultural education workers from all areas called “creatively transformative”. It touched on the overlaps between cultural education and global learning and how those can be part of a transformation towards more climate conscious acts. I took part in all six modules as a scholarship holder of ASSITEJ Germany. This text is an attempt to summarize the program and my experience in it.

With a combination of online modules over zoom and face to face workshops in Remscheid and Wolfenbüttel, we covered the different dimensions of sustainability, global equity and possibilities for cultural workers to convey those topics. In the last modules we dealt with different topics from alternatives to economic growth e.g. buen vivir or degrowth, to questions on classism and social diversity in cultural projects – and with this the program became more and more practical. Especially in the last module guided by Timo Holthoff and Axel Watzke (from the collective “studiovorort”) we worked increasingly towards establishing practical guidelines. 

In conclusion, I can say that within the cross section of cultural education and global learning, mainly three aspects can be summarized: 

1. The discussion of the terms justice and equity (in the global, ecological, economic and social sense)
2. The beginning of a process of fundamental transformation of thinking and acting patterns within cultural education
3. The initiation of transformation processes in a sustainable and practical way. One could say that situated knowledge[1] and the production of self-efficacy by creating concrete goals states the transition of cultural education towards global learning. Education has a specified role when we speak of societal transformations.

As the program got more practical, I naturally looked for indications I could use in my own work, as well. For me, the connection between cultural education, theatre pedagogy, the production of theatre for children and young adults, and global learning were at the forefront of this process. In retrospect, the following aspects are the most prominent for my everyday work:

• Climate change (and also other crisis‘ or complex topics) are not exclusively understandable in terms of knowledge or facts, but also emotions. Anger, fear or the overwhelming effect of too much information are reactions that have to be allowed and accompanied.
• For  instance Donna Haraways “Staying with the Trouble”[2] and the matter of enduring  uncertainties, chaos or voids. Those are interesting places to exist in; irritations have to be established.
• Vulnerability and the transparency of the learning process of the educator is essential, as well as the principle of the equality of intelligence[3] and the dissolving of power structures.
• Finally, it is extremely important for the institution and the people who work in it to act as a role model.

To give a direct example, I was able to apply these learnings at the beginning of this season. As a dramaturg in the production of “Ameise auf Weltreise” (An Ant on world tour) by Franziska Werner I was part of this play’s production team that touched on climate change and sustainability for children at eight years. The protagonists are not humans but animals, who, on a trip around the world, are affected by different extreme weather conditions and meet other animals who are struggling to keep living in this environment. Interestingly, there is an inherent change of perspective – there are no adults on stage explaining climate change to children but animals. The world tour with animals across different species has no hierarchical morality. Throughout the play different reactions and emotions of the topic, that can and have to exist simultaneously, become apparent.

The program provided insights, practical skills and information that I was able to use in my day to day work, like the example described above and I am sure to use them in the future as well. 

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[1] „Situated knowledge“ is an alternative idea of universal knowledge and describes  knowledge that is culturally and historically conditioned and is dependent on the specific situation. Knowledge is not separated from its environment but stays connected and embodied within.

[2] „Staying with the trouble“ is a book by the American feminist and natural historic Donna Haraway, that describes a process of making disturbances and creating kinship with all species as a way to fight crisis.

[3] This term stems from Jacques Rancières and means the removal of hierarchy in the role of an educator.