The Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Program is an international science and education program. Sponsored by NASA it offers students from around the world the opportunity to conduct science research and data collection. This is done to help contribute meaningfully to our understanding of the Earth system and global environment.
One of GLOBE’s biggest projects is the GLOBE Learning Expeditions (GLEs). They are organised every few years and are a chance for GLOBE members to meet in one location and conduct environmental research in the surrounding area.
In 2018 the conference took place in Killarney, County Kerry with students conducting site research in different locations around the Killarney National Park focusing on water, atmosphere and soil.
After swapping seats on a flight from New York to Dublin our CEO Jack ended up sitting beside Jan Heiderer, the Communications Coordinator of the GLOBE Program. This chance meeting led to All Good Tales becoming involved.
The theme of the conference was “a sense of place” and to stick with this theme the GLOBE program wanted to bring storytelling to their event and help the over 300 students participating tell better stories in their presentations and research. To achieve this we worked with the GLOBE team throughout the week of the GLE conference in Killarney.
We worked with a select group of students from all over the world aged between 11 and 17.
We held storytelling workshops and worked with a select group of students on site with the students to help gather photos, video and audio which would help them tell their story at the end of the week.
At the end of the week we gave a presentation to the conference attendees filled with student voices and stories of their week. The students were tasked with presenting the story of their week, what they had learned and the research they conducted to the GLOBE audience.
We took a hands-on approach with the students helping them put together their presentations and mentoring them to help improve their presentation skills.
We also worked with a select number of students putting together videos of their week. We collaborated with Vinteract Media from Kerry who helped tell the story of three exceptional students. We explored their reasoning for being at the GLE, how their research has influenced their lives and their journey throughout the week.
We also collaborated with ThingLink, a 360 degree photo tool to create a stunning photo of Killarney National Park with student voices explaining the surroundings.
At the end of our presentation on Friday each student working with us got to tell the story of the experience to a large audience. The focus of these stories ranged from folklore to the specific land features of the park. They were shaped by the students experiences in Killarney while comparing them to their own homes.
The project was over six months in the making and was a resounding success.