Storytelling and other arts
Storytelling and other arts
Stories can activate people and invite them to be protagonists of the changes they want. And there are so many stories in the universe of citizen science. Arguments and facts are often not effective ways to get people to listen and connect. However, we can weave them into stories and make communication more effective.
The purpose of this working group is to explore and gain knowledge and confidence in the way stories are an ally in science communication, specifically in citizen science.
Chairs
Working group
members
- Aishwarya Viswamitra
- Andrea I. Troncoso
- Anna Berti Suman
- Baiba Pruse
- Beatrice Melone
- Bernd Geels
- Doris Ortner
- Egle Butkeviciene
- Eugenio Gervasini
- Flavia-Bianca Cristian
- Francesca Belloni
- Jimlea Nadezhda Mendoza
- Joerg Altekruse
- Judith Coppinger
- Kornelia Dimitrova
- Laure Turcati
- Leonardo Veronesi
- Matthias Köster
- Maya Fedeli
- Rachel Adatia
- Rupa Mukherjee Kapitzki
Activity plan
- 1. Explore the power of storytelling and use it for the benefit of communicating citizen science.
- 2. Learn how to craft stories that matter and that communicate effectively, and gain confidence to be the ones sharing these new learnings.
- 3. Provide a safe and open space for interaction between researchers, explorers and storytellers, where they can learn from each other and interact.
Past achievements
- Workshops:
- Folk and fairy tales to connect with Charles-Louis de Maere, already on youtube: https://youtu.be/E-aK8lPpnRQ?si=_Hq9Za71Q1UYoXQD
- Children’s Books and Citizen Science: An Unexpected Alliance with Flavia-Bianca Cristian, still need to be published on Youtube, recordings available on ECSA’s Zoom (December 17 2025, there are 2 videos, one was just a 1-minute recording attempt and the second one is the one to be published, it would need a trim around minute 50 to 65 more or less, since we opened breakout rooms and we had people joining the meeting one hour late and needed to explain what was going on)
- Bringing Indigenous Science and Citizen Science Together with Bernd Geels; still need to be published on Youtube, recordings available on ECSA’s Zoom (November 26 2025)
- Piriturati, a dictionary of words yet to become with Fernanda Krahn
- Fireside gatherings:
- The story of “Collaborations for future” with Kornelia Dimitrova, still need to be published on Youtube, recordings available on ECSA’s Zoom (April 1 2025)
- Engaging with biodiversity through storytelling with Beatrice Melone and Eugenio Gervasini, still need to be published on Youtube, recordings available on ECSA’s Zoom (June 2025 5 2025)
- Sketchnoting for Citizen Science workshop, October 2023
- In November 2023, the Storytelling Working Group sent out a call for the community to submit “Elfchen” poems about citizen science, poems composed of 11 words on the topic of citizen science. Over 50 poems were submitted and developed into the Citizen science through poetry booklet, which you can download in poster and booklet form below. Printed copies will be shared at the ECSA 2024 conference in Vienna, 3-6 April 2024.
- Citizen science through poetry – A3 poster
- Citizen science through poetry – Foldable booklet
- Video guide on how to fold the booklet
- This working group has created the Storytelling for citizen science training module. This free course is hosted on the EU-Citizen.Science Moodle platform. The course will give you the foundation and tools to look in a different way at how you can communicate your citizen science project and how to craft a story that matters and connects to different audiences. If you are logged in to your EU-Citizen.Science account, you can access the training module here.
- Once SciComm a Time: Using Storytelling Techniques in Science Talks. Join us for a 1-hour webinar with Affelia Wibisono! Affelia has over 10 years’ experience in science communication and has worked with several museums and science centres to educate, enthuse, and engage school groups and the public on physics and astronomy and many more areas of science.
- Organised by ECSA’s Storytelling and other Arts working group, we aim to bring our community together through stories.
How to get involved
To join this working group, please contact the chairs by email, outlining your experience and which activities you are interested in.
