Dreaming through drawing: tracing the shape of children’s “voice” in (re)storying the climate crisis

Purpose This study aims to examine how children, as part of the Coastal Climate Kids Collective, used restorying to articulate ecological precarity and to voice climate activism through multimodal compositions. Design/methodology/approach This qualitative, networked study engaged culturally diverse children ages 7–12 in Boston, Massachusetts; San Diego, California; and Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Participants created visual and written artifacts reflecting on their summative learning and climate activism. Children’s visual texts were analyzed thematically using activity-based multimodal theories and visual grammar frameworks. Findings Children’s compositions voiced climate action via three modes: as a message (speech/text), as values (community and water justice) and as ideological resistance (counter-stories). Themes of sustainability, access to water and collective civic responsibility emerged prominently as focal topics. Research limitations/implications Results stem from a subset of children’s self-produced texts and reflections, without postproduction interviews. The study’s analytical interpretations may not extend to all children nor be representative of all contexts. Originality/value The study demonstrates the potential of critical, multimodal arts-based critical literacies for enabling children to restory climate futures, foreground community activism and cultivate meaningful environmental engagement.