Polarbear X SHAPE / This is Real

Since September 2024, Multistory has been working with artist, writer and storyteller, Polarbear, aka Steven Camden on This is Real, a long-term project that forms part of our Green Roots programme aimed at empowering young people to address local environmental and social issues, an important and necessary step for a greener future.

Partnering with Sandwell’s SHAPE Programme, Polarbear has facilitated a series of workshops, where young people have engaged in meaningful discussions, hands-on art-making and project planning around climate change, green issues and social justice.

During workshops, the group explored the language used by different generations to discuss climate change, and how this impacts understanding. Together they looked at how storytelling, creative writing and visual art can be used to amplify the youth voice and the group and Polarbear co-designed an eco-zine, titled This is Real, to be used as an educational resource for tackling climate change at a local level for secondary school students in Sandwell.

The zine is full of ideas, activities and inspiration: from clothing swaps to photography competitions to creating junk creatures and recycling ideas. It is made up of collage images and text, crafted by the group to give it a lo-fi DIY aesthetic, and has been put together and printed by The Holodeck, a riso-graph printmaking and design studio.

We shared This is Real with young people who attended Sandwell Council’s annual SHAPE Youth Summer Festival on 12 July 2025, and with schools across Sandwell that participate in the Eco-School Programme, a pupil-led programme that promotes sustainable development and environmental awareness, and encourages schools to examine their own carbon footprint.

This is Real combines art, activism and youth leadership and, by providing young people with the tools to express their ideas and influence change, we aim to lay the foundation for a youth-led movement that will drive Sandwell’s green agenda forwards for years to come.

A huge well done to Polarbear and all of the young people from SHAPE who worked so hard on this project!