The LEAF project aimed to achieve interconnected objectives: First, to raise awareness of environmental issues—including water scarcity, dying glaciers, and ecological fragility—through innovative eco-somatic queer performances in public spaces in Iceland and Poland. Second, to enhance social inclusion and diversity by engaging intergenerational groups of activists, particularly participants with fewer opportunities, including LGBT+ individuals, in all stages of the project. Third, to develop sustainability competences among participants, educators, and education leaders, equipping them to become agents of change in environmental activism. Fourth, to foster intercultural and intergenerational learning, strengthening European identity through collaboration between Icelandic and Polish participants. Fifth, to disseminate project results, methodologies, and artistic techniques through educational videos, workshops, trainings, and festival presentations, ensuring the project’s outcomes reach wider audiences and contribute to the long-term integration of eco-somatic, queer-informed, and performative approaches into education and activism.
We applied for the LEAF project to address the urgent need for innovative, inclusive educational approaches linking environmental awareness, social inclusion, and performative arts. Our organizations observed that activists, educators, and communities often lack embodied methods to engage deeply with ecological crises, particularly in intergenerational and queer contexts. The project aimed to develop eco-somatic queer performances, workshops, and educational videos to raise awareness about pressing environmental issues such as water scarcity, dying glaciers, and climate change. It also sought to enhance social inclusion by engaging participants from diverse and marginalized backgrounds, including LGBT+ individuals and those with fewer opportunities. By fostering intercultural learning between Icelandic and Polish participants, the project promoted European identity, strengthened networks, and built the capacity of educators and activists to apply these methodologies in future environmental, educational, and cultural contexts, creating sustainable, replicable practices that empower local communities while connecting them to wider European and international initiatives.