How to keep the attention on climate change?

The goal of the project is to generally gain more attention for Klimacamp, especially reaching people outside the established activist bubble. Even though it is already happening for the third time, there are still many people in South Tyrol that have not heard of it at all, even though they are very interested in the topic or even actively engaged in this field. Since one of the goals of Klimacamp is to gather, connect and mobilize locals interested in the topic, specifically those should be reached. The overall goal is to keep and also grow the attention of climate action in South Tyrol to join forces and have a bigger impact in total.

In 2025, the third version of Klimacamp Alto Adige takes place in Latsch, Vinschgau from 27th August to 2nd of September.

The event is open for anyone who wants to join, financed by donations and free for everyone. The organizing team consists of a diverse group of volunteers living in different European cities, all of them having a connection to South Tyrol. There are weekly meetings and different working groups. 

Klimacamp is part of Climate Action South Tyrol, an alliance of over 70 clubs, groups and associations that work together for climate justice. The team of Klimacamp is very connected to different actors like activists, social groups, cultural events etc..

After meeting our partners in the beginning of the project we started joining the virtual plenum every week to update each other and become part of the team. To experience the actual context more we also visited this year's Klimacamp location.

Furthemore, we researched on the topic of climate activism, the perception of it and emotions related to climate change. To find out more about the vision and mission of the volunteers, we talked to the team, read their materials and also facilitated a workshop with a part of the Klimacamp group. The team shares a common image of Klimacamp – if it was a person it would be colorful, optimistic, smiling and willing to meet new people, be active and change the system. For the vision everyone agreed on the idea of growing, having more local influence and reaching more people (potentially arriving at an European level).

The team already has a promising communication strategy, so the aim was to go beyond the current options and we decided on following the conception and construction of a stand for promoting Klimacamp. The stand also has other advantages such as getting into direct contact with locals, starting the conversation way before the event and also keeping the Klimacamp alive around the year. We got the chance to join different events to test the prototype of the stand and get feedback.

The final outcome is a mobile multifunctional stand, that is used for promoting the event, starting a conversation, gathering people and informing them. To communicate, we use the metaphor of a campfire – an essential part of a camp bringing people together, giving warmth and light. The metaphor is also found in our slogan “keep the fire alive”. When standing, the top of the drum can be used for sharing drinks – using coasters with potential conversation starters.

The design and intent of the stand are rooted in a body of research that addresses both global climate communication challenges and local social dynamics in South Tyrol.

Climate Communication & Oversaturation

In the current climate discourse, there is the present phenomenon of climate oversaturation—a state in which people feel overwhelmed by a constant stream of negative news, alarming statistics, and political inaction. Studies show that this leads to emotional fatigue, apathy, or disengagement, particularly when individuals feel powerless to act. As a response, our project positions itself within the framework of hopeful narratives and micro-activations that invite community engagement through low-barrier, in-person interactions. 

Sentiments in South Tyrol

Through literature research, workshop feedback, and observational methods, we gathered insights into the specific emotional landscape of South Tyrol. While the region has a strong relationship to its natural environment and a growing community of eco-conscious individuals, our findings suggest that many residents experience a tension between climate concern and a reluctance to engage in activist identities. More than half of the population considers climate change the greatest challenge of our time, 39% most feel worried about it, but only 17% actively strive for greater sustainability. Climate change is often perceived as too big or too far away, despite increasing local signs such as glacier retreat or shifting agricultural conditions. People expressed a desire for connection, dialogue, and tangible entry points. 

Case Study: Mobile Activist Infrastructure

Our mobile stand concept draws on precedents like the project “Dare to share and wear!” (Austria) which uses movable structures to bring sustainability conversations into everyday public spaces. This example highlights the importance of mobility, adaptability, and visibility in reaching broader audiences beyond activist circles. Inspired by these cases, our stand was designed to travel across South Tyrol, appearing at festivals, markets, and social spaces to “spark” conversations in an approachable, informal way.

The whole project taught us a lot: about collaborating with partners as an ecosocial designer, about climate communication in South Tyrol, about climate activism in 2025 and about constructing and designing an interactive stand. 

Over time we created a bond with the volunteers of Klimacamp, that we appreciate a lot. As the members of the team live in many different places, the meetings mostly happen virtually. This, and also the fact that everybody is volunteering, created some limitations in time and space – e.g. leading to facilitating a workshop on the train, only having short updates in the plenum and slowing down the process of getting to know everyone – understanding their roles, connections, knowledge and expertise.

It was very rewarding to get into contact with different people in the climate action network of South Tyrol and motivated and interested people in Vinschgau. The engaged Klimacamp Team welcomed us warmly and was very interested and supportive. Quickly we noticed the hard work they are putting in this project and also confirmed the challenge to reach people with an oversaturated topic like the climate crisis. We faced some language barriers since only one of us is German speaking, which was sometimes complicating the testing of the stand, especially when talking to locals.

We did not have any experience in designing a stand and therefore, and also because of the given context, it took various attempts to find the ideal way of putting it to action. Every phase helped us to understand the interactions and how to iterate the project. The collaboration with BASIS was very essential – providing the space and materials for prototyping, sharing of skills, and networking in Vinschgau. 

In the future, we can imagine continuing to work with Klimacamp, for example using the stand on different occasions. We are planning to execute a meet and greet bike tour through Vinschgau with the stand to promote the event, meet local actors and get into a conversation with anyone interested. The stand is now ready to be used by anyone wanting to promote the event and furthermore, it's also supposed to be used during Klimacamp itself.

Diaz, J. O. P. (2024). Active Hope as a Catalyst for mental and Psychosocial Health in Climate-Related Disasters. Psychology, 15(05), 634–644. https://doi.org/10.4236/psych.2024.155039  

Von Miller, V. (2025, January 9). '70 percent are afraid of the negative consequences of climate change' EURAC Research. https://www.eurac.edu/en/magazine/study-emotions-inequalities-climate-crisis-interview-felix-windegger-christoph-kircher 

Alexandra Fruhstorfer › DARE TO SHARE AND WEAR! (n.d.). Alexandra Fruhstorfer. https://www.alexandrafruhstorfer.com/work/dare-to-share-and-wear/