Picture a crisp autumn day in Thuringia, Germany. In the heart of the Culture Goes Europe shared office space, six vibrant young minds from across the EU and beyond gathered. The task before them? To dissect the complexities of creating broader change through three simple yet profound interventions: a game, a hike, and a cinema screening. This was Workshop 4 of the PLANET4B project held on November 13th, 2024, and its mission was as ambitious as it was inspiring.
Revisiting the Past to Shape the Future
The session began with a walk down memory lane. Participants reflected on previous workshops, immersing themselves in the theory of leverage points and indicators. As the scent of fresh coffee mingled with the hum of eager conversation, the group revisited the highs and lows of game-testing and interventions. With this foundation set, it was time to tackle the workshop’s main challenge: identifying barriers and opportunities for broader change.
The Game That’s More Than Just a Game
The Biodiversity-Food-Governance Game emerged as a powerhouse of possibilities. This isn’t just a game—it’s a teaching tool, a conversation starter, and a spark for change.
Systems it Could Influence: From reshaping school curricula to inspiring NGOs and even altering consumer habits, the game’s ripple effects are vast. Imagine a future where high schoolers debate governance principles as easily as they discuss pop culture, or where NGOs use it to bridge gaps in environmental education.
Opportunities: The game offers endless potential—expanding ecological literacy, fostering critical thinking, and even infiltrating corporate boardrooms for discussions on sustainability. With the right partnerships, it could scale into a movement.
Barriers: Yet, as with any great idea, challenges lurk. Educators need training, and students must find the motivation to engage. Resistance from formal education systems adds another layer of complexity. But as one participant put it, “Every barrier is just a new kind of puzzle to solve.”
Hiking Towards Connection and Health
Next on the agenda was the Hike, a deceptively simple activity with profound implications.
Broader Impacts: Walking in nature goes beyond physical health—it builds resilience, fosters community, and strengthens our bond with the planet. One participant dreamed of a future where hiking became a daily ritual, not just a weekend escape.
Opportunities: Guided hikes could weave environmental storytelling into the journey, inspiring urban youth and migrant communities alike. By mapping trails and promoting eco-tourism, this intervention could bridge cultural gaps while boosting local economies.
Barriers: But nature has its limits. Accessibility is an issue, and overuse could threaten biodiversity. For this vision to thrive, we need thoughtful planning, trained guides, and a commitment to preserving the very landscapes we aim to explore.
Cinema Under the Stars
Finally, the group turned its gaze skyward—to the Outdoor Cinema. Picture a screen framed by trees, an audience sprawled on blankets under a starlit sky. It’s entertainment with a purpose.
Opportunities: Beyond the silver screen, this cinema promotes biodiversity themes and sparks dialogue among diverse groups. By showcasing underground films and hosting post-screening discussions, it connects art and activism in a truly unique way.
Barriers: Yet, the stars aren’t always aligned. Weather, logistical hurdles, and the need for eco-friendly tech can make outdoor cinema challenging. Still, the group dreamed big: mobile cinemas bringing films to rural areas, community screenings sparking new perspectives.
Photos: Maryna Bykova
The Way Forward
As the workshop wrapped up, the room buzzed with possibilities. Each intervention held the potential to spark real change, but the path forward would require persistence, creativity, and collaboration.
Workshop 4 was more than a four-hour session; it was a microcosm of what happens when determination meets creativity. Each intervention—whether it was the thought-provoking BFG Game, the grounding experience of the Hike, or the inspiring Outdoor Cinema—offered unique avenues to challenge the status quo. Together, they illuminated how seemingly small actions can influence larger systems, from education to governance, and from community health to environmental awareness.
But the true magic of the workshop lay in its participants—their diverse backgrounds, boundless energy, and shared belief in a better future. It’s their voices, ideas, and willingness to confront barriers that will carry these interventions from concept to reality.
The Call to Action
Now, the challenge is to take these seeds of change and nurture them into tangible impact. It’s not enough to dream big; we must act boldly. For the BFG Game, this means finding ways to infiltrate classrooms and boardrooms alike. For the Hike, it’s about turning nature into a space for inclusion and education. And for the Outdoor Cinema, it’s building a bridge between entertainment and advocacy, inspiring communities to see the world—and their role in it—through a new lens.
Workshop 4 showed us what’s possible. The next steps are up to all of us. Whether you’re an educator, an activist, or just someone curious about the world, there’s a role to play. Because the journey toward broader change isn’t something we undertake alone—it’s a path we hike together.
So, let’s lace up our boots, roll out the projector screens, and gather around the game table. The work starts now, and the future we create will be one worth living in.
For more information about the project or to explore opportunities for collaboration, visit the PLANET4B website or email planet4b@zirs.uni-halle.de.
About PLANET4B Project
Horizon Europe research project PLANET4B aims to understand and influence decision making affecting biodiversity and to map existing knowledge that explains why certain decisions are made, to understand better how biodiversity can be prioritised in our decision-making.
PLANET4B receives funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101082212.
This project is funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) under the UK government’s Horizon Europe funding guarantee.
This project receives funding from the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI).
Contact person:
Maryna Bykova, CGE Erfurt e.V.
