The Vancouver-based DreamRider Theatre group is bringing interactive climate action to schools through their Planet Protector Academy program. DreamRider Theatre brings Esmeralda Superspy and her sidekick Goober to schools to engage them in a way that is reminiscent of the TV Series from my childhood Captain Planet and the Planeteers that made environmentalism relevant and cool for my friends and I when we were in school.
Esmeralda Superspy and Goober
(image: by David Cooper from DreamRider Theatre)
In the Academy, the students become apprentice planet protectors and characters in the narrative. They are given missions and compete for points in games that could be anything from working out what heat is and how your water becomes hot from the tap, through to using their bodies to create an electrical system.
Planet Protector Academy (image from DreamRider Theatre)
Through removing the disconnect that most people have from the sources of our modern systems; where our hot water, electricity and energy comes from, the apprentice planet protectors learn about climate and energy systems as well as solutions to climate change.
The Planet Protectors program aims to create the next generation of responsible citizens- one classroom at a time. Their program is aimed at Grades 3- 6 and has been tailored for schools, community groups and local government organizations. Through their work of spreading the message of environmental responsibility, DreamRider Theatre has already won an Eco-Arts Award, and was one of Canada’s Top Ten Hometown Heroes for Earth Day. Look out for Emeralda Superspy and her sidekicks making a classroom near you more fun in the near future.
