Holidays in 2042

Inès et Manon, students at the DSAA, created a classroom activity on holidays.

User Manual:

What will holidays look like in 2042?

Holidays have become an essential component of well-being. However, current tourism models, both in terms of transportation and infrastructure, are dependent on fossil fuels. It's time to rethink the concept of holidays to make it resilient to climate change while preserving the joy of travel. Through this project, you will explore the space of the ecolodge, meet its occupants and engage in its activities. This contemplative triptych encourages you to view holidays as a real, respectful, and resilient experience. The goal is not to dictate the future but to open a discussion to inspire different forms of travel and to showcase the diversity of existing holiday experiences.

Narrative Part: The Time of Holidays

• The Time of Holidays, a poetic triptych to be observed in every detail.
• Preparation required: After printing the large panels and the cards, please cut the six postcards (final format: 10cm x 15cm). Do not place them in front of the students immediately.

Set up the three A3 panels on a table or desk side by side to form a complete panoramic image. Invite students to come closer and allow them time to examine the small details of each panel, read the texts, and explore the scenery. If possible, you can also print multiple copies and create two or three observation areas in the classroom.

• Interaction with the panels and the role of the teacher/mediator: The teacher provides students with time for contemplation. The teacher then reads the poem, the text of which circulates throughout the panels. The teacher plays the role of a mediator, having identified the main character (P.) and the climate change indicators beforehand. The teacher invites students to engage in discussions on the topic of holidays and the ecolodge.
• Possible questions to engage students: For example, the first question could be about their concept of holidays: Are they active holidaymakers? Do they appreciate cultural experiences during holidays? Have they ever considered the ecological impact of their temporary residence? Also, the story begins with a train journey because transportation is an integral part of holidays. Have they thought of their means of transportation as an opportunity rather than just a way to reach a different place? To travel in the future, visit loved ones, or go on a sunny vacation, it is necessary to halve the energy consumption required for such trips. Trains will become the preferred mode of transportation, and journeys will take longer. The concept of destressing can be seen as an advantage: you will probably see the same landscape at different times of the year very rarely!
• The postcards: Once the conversation is well underway, the teacher presents the postcards one by one. A volunteer student can read the first one, and the whole class can try to locate it on the triptych. After reading each postcard, the teacher gives the students an opportunity to discuss and debate what they have just read.

Workshop Part: From Card to Card

• "Card after Card," an imaginative notebook to make the story your own and immerse yourself in the heart of the ecolodge!

• Articulation with the narrative part and educational objective: This activity book is designed to be a continuation of the story. Students will encounter the same environment of the ecolodge as well as recurring characters and elements. The principle of the postcards used previously is extended here to involve students in the narrative.

The educational objective of this writing and drawing workshop is to invite students to project themselves into 2042 by showing them conceivable solutions to continue enjoying holidays while highlighting the ecological concerns raised by this theme. We hope that they will take ownership of the information provided in our story – such as the keys to understanding extreme climate events or the impact of current tourism models – not only to use in writing and illustrating their postcards but also to be aware of it in their daily lives. This workbook may be a trigger for some students.

Questions that the postcards can raise: Which people inspire you and whom you would like to resemble? How do they go on vacation? Would you be willing to give up some of your holiday time to participate in an associative project? Are you aware of any existing initiatives?

• Materials to prepare: Regarding the feasibility of this workshop, the teacher has several printing options detailed in the teacher's guide. Depending on the resources available at the school, the notebooks needed for this workshop can be printed in A3 format, double-sided A4 format, or A5 format with only specific pages (see the deliverables folder). For the successful execution of this workshop, at least one postcard for drawing and one for writing should be provided to ensure that all students have the opportunity to participate regardless of their level in these disciplines. Additionally, because we know that drawing is not innate, cut-out elements are available to students at the end of the booklet.
• Recommended workshop schedule: As detailed in the "Teacher Protocol" document, this workshop can take place during an entire class period (approximately 55 minutes) or as a shorter, one-time activity.

Full Activity (40 minutes):

1. Drawing Time: Choose one card from the booklet for each student to draw and cut. Hang the drawings on the board or lay them out on a table. Three volunteers then explain what they tried to convey from the text.
2. Information Time: Read the page about extreme climate events and the most relevant definitions aloud as needed. Allow for an exchange of ideas if the group is interested. The goal of this workbook is to educate and provide middle school students with an understanding of climate change. This is achieved through a narrative that invents a new way of living in the future.
3. Writing Time: Each student writes the postcard from page 7. Two options: solo or in pairs. If the activity is done in pairs, one student writes the first part of the postcard, and the other concludes it. Students then exchange the postcards again. Volunteers read the results aloud, followed by a discussion.

Partial Activity / Writing Variation (15 minutes):

For 5 minutes, the first student writes a part of the postcard and then passes it to their neighbor, who has 5 minutes to complete the postcard story. Read the result aloud if it meets their approval.

Partial Activity / Drawing Variation (15 minutes):

In small groups, each student draws an element on the postcard of their choice and then passes it to their neighbor to do the same. Each group presents the collaborative drawing. Other groups must guess the subject of the text. Once the guessing is done, the class chooses their favorite postcard.

Encourage students to continue the activity. If desired, each student has the option to continue the activities from the booklet. If inspiration is lacking, they can take into account the instructions above each postcard.

* It should be noted that these posters have not been validated by the Scientific and Pedagogical Committee of the OCE.