5th Station : Be of Service to others and the environment with Solutions and Ideas

There is a saying that “necessity is the mother of invention,” and times of crisis have led to some of history’s most important inventions.

Experience tells us that it is possible to tackle seemingly insurmountable problems with innovation and cooperation. Unique, creative solutions to help rejuvenate our world and tackle some of its global problems are perhaps more necessary now than ever before, and we want to hear yours!

The solutions to big world problems often start with small-scale ideas that have local impact. What ideas have you had, or heard about, that deserve to be shared with a wider audience? What new approaches are you, or the people around you, in your school, family or wider community, taking to make a positive difference in the world? How are you, or people you know, working collaboratively with others to develop innovative ways to address the needs of others and take social or environmental action?

What’s the big (or little) idea, and how did it come about?… Before you answer that…

Watch and Learn:

Watch the film below and think about how the story was constructed. Write notes using the categories from the Story Arc to separate the story into the ‘Setup’ or context then the ‘Challenge’ or evidence, the ‘Potential’ or Ideas, the ‘Climax’ or solutions, the ‘Resolution’ or future vision and finally ‘The Action you hope to inspire’.

Click the image below to watch the film ‘A Meatless Future’ and be ready to enter the password ‘WaterBearOriginals2021’. 

Watch some more

If you have access to the WaterBear web site in your part of the world, you might want to take a look at some of these films as a source of inspiration for your ideas on how you might tell the story of a person whose example encourages you to imagine a better future.

If you cannot access the WaterBear website, there are a selection of WaterBear film trailers on their YouTube channel HERE.

Now create your own Story Arc

All stories have a rise and fall in the storyline, this is what keeps viewers gripped, following the ‘ups’ and ‘downs’. These fluctuations, the rise and fall of a story can be plotted on a story arc. The story arc tracks the main events of your story — the sequence of happenings in the plot — it determines the peaks and troughs that set the pace; it covers the beginning, middle and end of your story. Using the Story Arc Worksheet provided, try plotting the narrative of your film under the following sections on the curve: 


Next task>