The Climate Flags stall at the Darebin Kite Festival was a big success. Around 90 flags were decorated by visitors to the festival last Sunday in Reservoir, Victoria. The decorating event gave many people from varied backgrounds the opportunity to engage with the issue of climate change, with Climate Flag organisers on-hand to support people and answer questions. It was so great to see the project in action in this way.

“A neighbourhood-scale parent activist group called “Newlands Parents for Climate Action” were behind the flag event. They brought energy and enthusiasm to their various roles as flag sewers, stall assisters, equipment lenders, climate communicators and change makers!

The Climate Flag project is ever-evolving, with each community group making the project their own. The Newlands group are keen to refine how they run flag decorating events, to create more space for reflection and conversation in the process, because this is at the heart of the Climate Flag vision. They are also in discussion about where to fly the flags, so their local community get a chance to see all these beautiful and thought provoking messages.

Group organiser, Nina Roberts says ‘an evening sewing bee with wine will be just the place for a chat, while we attach the 90 flags to strings!’ As always, the Climate Flag project works on many levels: from engaging the broader community with the issue of climate change, to community building within smaller groups of friends and neighbours.

People who come together to organise Climate Flags events for their local area, invariably comment that flag sewing sessions are an enjoyable and supportive way to connect with others about the painful issue of climate change, and to transform fear into creative action.