Seeds of Hope Project
The UNESCO UK Associated Schools Programme Network (ASPnet) Seeds of Hope for a Better Future project supports UNESCO’s Sustainable Development Goals and key action areas - promoting peace, sustainability and intercultural learning and heritage, especially in the context of the challenges of climate change.
This project will inspire young people and key partners (educators, artists, scientists and others) to create legacy arts and culture projects for the benefit of local, national and international communities.
Stronger together
ASPnet connects more than 12,000 educational institutions in over 180 countries providing pre-primary, primary, secondary, technical or vocational education, or teacher training.
This project encourages schools to work with partners that are committed to supporting schools and young people. These might be community groups, arts and scientific organisations, such as international seed banks.
Many such groups already have programmes from which young can draw inspiration and they may also already offer public resources to support schools. One such partner is Kew Millennium Seed Bank. Like ASPnet it is part of an international family and has links with researchers and seed banks in 190 countries.
This is an opportunity for schools to collaborate with others to create artistic outcomes that demonstrate and highlight their support to local communities. Working together to face the challenges and impact of climate change around the world is a shared vision - it needs all of our efforts to make a difference.
Objectives
Connect young people with the arts, sciences, local and international communities
Strengthen awareness of the value of seeds for the planet and humanity to support a sustainable, bio-diverse future
Create inspiring seed stories and artworks in collaboration with local or international community partners in order to enhance and benefit the lives of others
Share Seeds of Hope stories and experiences internationally through the UNESCO ASPnet network to inform and give voice to young people on the impact of climate change to local communities around the world.
Part One: Creating Seeds of Hope Stories
Working together with educators, artists, scientists and others young people will:
Research seeds of their choice from the themes identified. These themes will inspire young people to use their ‘seed awareness’ material to create and illustrate their own seed story or other artwork. Through this research they will discover what a seed is, for example:
Its value to the world and how/whether it provides food security, biodiversity, sustainable development and/or other benefits.
Its geographical origins and any key global aspects about the chosen seeds/species and whether it is rare or common in how it relates to local, national and international communities
The likely impact of climate change and other factors on the chosen seeds in the short, medium and long term.
Create Seeds of Hope stories using a range of artistic expressions.
A seed story will aim to illustrate, through sharing seed awareness, the need for humanity to play a responsible role in securing and maintaining a bio-diverse future for the planet.
The goal of these artworks is for young people to create the most interesting legacy projects by engaging with local/national/international communities and where possible working with established artists. Artwork examples could include:
Art works, which can be a gallery exhibition or community art work for long-term display in a prominent outdoor space/public indoor area, and/or a touring exhibition.
Illustrated poems/short stories as the focus of presentation for local poetry/story festivals or widely circulated through a variety of print media, such as books/flip books, posters, leaflets or other graphic formats.
Digital illustrations using photography/film/animation circulated through social and other public media formats or exhibitions
Performance and/or installation art, such as a young people’s play/opera/musical theatre/dance/ installation art/sculpture park.
All artwork will make a contribution to the project’s mission, aims and objectives, and be valued, recorded and shared via the UNESCO National Coordinators.
Part 2: Creating Seeds of Hope Legacy Spaces
Young people will have the opportunity to connect their seed stories and artworks to local communities by creating or working with existing allotments, gardens or other open spaces. Just as every seed is important, every young person’s contribution is important and every collaboration is also important. The sharing of the outcomes brings the added benefit to wider audiences and future generations.
Creating legacy spaces or gardens will reflect how and why greater seed diversity brings benefits to others that can last over a long period. Connecting young people artistically with existing projects that may already be establishing a foundation for such work can also give greater national and international relevance to such efforts and thereby added value for all parties could be gained.
If young people want to develop a legacy space, they may wish to engage with other partners early on in the process (see examples under part one).
Part 3: International Sharing of Seeds of Hope Stories/Spaces
Different forms of dissemination through the UNESCO website and social media channels will be used to maximise the global reach and impact of young people’s voices. UNESCO UK will discuss with partners to find ways for young people’s creative seed story outcomes to be digitally sown to create a UNESCO ASPnet ‘Seeds of Hope for a Better Future’ global pathway map.
The added impact value of all the arts projects being seen together can be shared as widely as possible to benefit local, national and international communities. How can seed stories be ‘grown’ from an individual seed story into an event that can benefit others? How many groups could be encouraged to submit - just one seed story?
In 2025 the UNESCO ASPnet UK (date to be announced early 2025) will host an international conference where students will share their learning and creative experiences of the Seeds of Hope journey.
Sharing such stories internationally will demonstrate and strengthen our recognition and celebration of the rich diverse heritage that is essential to the natural world, humanity and for the long-term sustainability of our planet.