The Éiru education programme is created by Our Story and funded by the Lifes2Good Foundation. This timely series of immersive workshops is inspired by Éiru, the new animation film co-produced by Cartoon Saloon and HerStory, written and directed by Giovanna Ferrari, with support from Screen Ireland and BCP Asset Management.

This is an invitation to transform climate anxiety into a joyful and healing reconnection with nature, inspiring action as we co-create a sustainable future for people and the planet. 

The programme is designed for lifelong learning, intergenerational community groups, secondary school students (age 12+), university students (especially sustainability, earth sciences, social science, policy, or civic engagement tracks).

Each workshop takes you through three distinct stages of the social pedagogy methodology: the head (discover), the heart (reflect), and the hands (act). This ensures that learning is both comprehensive and deeply felt. This is not a linear education model - it’s a spiral journey designed to guide you through continuous cycles of learning, healing and deepening your relationship with nature. 

Thanks to our dream team who co-created this programme: Dr. Emma Black, Dr. Easkey Britton, Melanie Lynch, Andrew Simpson, and Szabolcs Karikó. Design by Rosa Ballester and original artwork by Cartoon Saloon. 

Our team has curated a collection of inspirational resources including films, podcasts, books, articles, and websites in this Padlet.

To book one of our facilitators to deliver Éiru workshops please contact us. You are welcome to deliver these workshops in your local school or community - click on the links below to download the exercises for free and please share with kindred spirits!

Ocean Breath Exercise: "We Are Ocean"

Overview: The Ocean Breath Exercise is a guided mindfulness and breathing activity that fosters a deep sense of connection between human beings and the Earth’s water systems, particularly phytoplankton, which produce much of the oxygen we breathe. In the film, as Éiru descends into the belly of the Earth, her breath becomes her anchor in the darkness, mirroring the lifeforce of the Earth. This exercise is a reminder of how we are all connected to this lifeforce through the power of our breath. Participants are encouraged to experience the rhythmic harmony between their own breath and the ocean’s tides, enhancing a "blue mind" state—a calm, meditative awareness linked to water. This connection nurtures a sense of calm, environmental responsibility, and belonging within the greater ecosystem of the planet.

Click here to download the exercise.

Rewilding the Self: Awakening the Wild Within

Overview: This immersive workshop invites participants to activate their imagination and shift their perception of nature and self. Through storytelling, reflection, and creative writing, we reconnect with the wild, untamed energy of the natural world—and of ourselves. Participants will explore nature not as a commodity or resource, but as sacred, sentient life that we belong to. By embodying non-human perspectives and drawing inspiration from natural elements, we cultivate empathy, imagination, and emotional resilience. The experience encourages a sense of interconnectedness and reverence for the living world, offering a counter-narrative to environmental despair and disconnection.

Click here to download the workshop.

Acknowledging and Navigating Climate Anxiety 

Overview: This workshop captures the emotional aspects of Éiru’s journey. It encourages participants to acknowledge and navigate complex emotions relating to environmentalism and climate action.Through guided reflection and group discussion, participants will explore a variety of emotional states and gain insights into their own feelings about environmentalism and climate action. The opportunity to capture their emotional response is offered using creative extension activities.

Click here to download the workshop.

Water’s Journey – The Life of a Drop

Overview: In the film, Éiru and the two other children she befriends on her journey show us that to change our relationship with water, we first need to understand it and how the water cycle is interwoven into and through all life. Just as water guides Éiru and her friends on their quest, this immersive workshop guides participants through the journey of a single drop of water, exploring its passage across natural landscapes, ecosystems, and human environments. The aim is to deepen understanding of the global water cycle and the critical role humans play in its health and sustainability. Using storytelling, creative expression, and systems thinking, explore how water is flowing and being filtered through the body of every being, every living thing, and through the consciousness of all life, across all time.

Click here to download the workshop.

Source to Sea: Reimagining our Relationship with Water

Overview: Building on the previous “water cycle” activity, this experiential workshop invites participants to explore their personal and collective relationships with water—rivers, lakes, streams, and oceans—by mapping memories, emotions, and observed changes of the watersheds they belong to. They will reconnect with water's importance through storytelling, deepening their understanding of the interdependence between humans and water and reflecting on environmental change. In the film, by sharing water with one another Éiru and her friends break the dominant story of power over nature and one another and begin to create a new story of care and connection, with downstream benefits for everyone. This exercise invites participants on a similar journey. Through creative expression and scientific inquiry, participants will explore how our lives, our bodies and our communities are connected to the watersheds and bodies of water that we live with and that move through us. When we restore the Earth’s waters we restore life.

Click here to download the workshop.

Earth Family Tree: Biodiversity Workshop

Overview: In the film, Éiru had to leave her human family behind and go on a heroine’s journey down the well and deep into the earth to find the source of water. In this workshop participants will explore the concept of family beyond humans; to include the species and elements that support human life. An appreciation for the natural world is demonstrated through the creation of a map which captures the symbiotic relationship of all life in their community. An opportunity to develop a personal action plan for sustainable living, incorporating practices that protect and nurture their broader family tree is offered and celebrated.

Click here to download the workshop.

Rewriting the Future:  Goddess Workshop

Overview: In this workshop, participants will begin by watching the Éiru film which explores the shift from domination to partnership with the environment. Working in teams, they will research a goddess and one or more non-binary deities,  then use creative writing to imagine a more inclusive and harmonious future. This process can be repeated to research gods from diverse cultures, allowing participants to write new stories that celebrate harmony, inclusion and balance between all genders.

Click here to download the workshop.

Tribe Workshop: Celebrating Indigenous Cultures 

Overview: In the Éiru film there are three tribes of fire, rock and tree. Éiru is the bridge to the other tribes, helping to heal divisions by reawakening Indigenous wisdom and the Goddess Brigid. She befriends two children from the neighbouring tribes and they work together to restore water to all communities. Inspired by Éiru, this workshop is designed to give participants a comprehensive understanding of  the diversity and wisdom of Indigenous cultures from around the world, and foster a greater appreciation of the diversity of humanity. Participants will explore how we can live in reciprocity with nature and each other. Working in teams, they will conduct a research project with visual and written activities, exploring tribes and what they can learn from these cultures.

Click here to download the workshop.

Designing your Environmentally Sustainable Community

Overview: In the film, Éiru befriends children from different tribes, and together they join forces, forming an alternative miniature tribe based on partnership systems and power sharing - a contrast to the domination tactics of their original tribes. Together the children collaborate to restore water to all their tribes.  In this workshop participants put Éiru’s wisdom into action, to create a sustainable tribe where people and nature can thrive.   This activity encourages participants to think critically about environmental sustainability and to take active roles in fostering an environmentally sustainable environment in their school or local community. The opportunity to create tangible, positive changes are illustrated using an adapted version of the ideal school technique (Moran, 2001).

Click here to download the workshop.

Roots & Realities: Exploring Our Connection with Trees and Forests 

Overview: In this workshop participants will explore the importance of trees and forests in maintaining a healthy environment. They will discover ways humans can live in harmony with trees by discovering the practices of the Dayak tribe in Borneo. They will also explore the Miyawaki reforestation technique, a Japanese method that accelerates forest growth and enhances biodiversity by densely planting native species, a method adopted in counties across Ireland. The session will conclude with a focus on actionable steps, encouraging participants to identify opportunities for tree planting in their own communities.

Click here to download the workshop.

Inspired by Nature: Biomimicry Workshop

Overview: In the Éiru film, young Éiru bravely embarks on an adventure to find the source of the missing water and solve this problem for her tribe.In this workshop participants will be introduced to biomimicry and explore how nature solves problems with ingenious solutions. They will learn about the 9 basic principles of biomimicry and examples from plants, insects, animals and ecosystems. They will observe nature’s solutions in their local environment and apply these strategies to solve real human problems.

Click here to download the workshop.

****************************************************************************************

 Click here to request access to screen the Éiru film for educational purposes. 

We would love to hear from you! Please share your creations 

and feedback: Éiru.submissions@gmail.com