Conference Program

The paper explores the implementation of the “Council of All Beings” (Fleming & Macy, 1988) as an experiential and ecocentric practice of environmental education for school-aged children. Rooted in the philosophical movement of Deep Ecology, which conceptualizes the human–nature relationship in terms of equality, this tradition articulates the formation of the ecological self as an expanded form of subjectivity that transcends narrowly defined human boundaries and is constituted through relational engagement with the nonhuman world (Naess, 1988). In parallel, it foregrounds the significance of embodied, narrative, and ritual forms of participation in cultivating ecological consciousness (Bragg, 1996; Ohlsson, 2025).

The Council of All Beings was implemented in a primary school in the Pelion region of Greece, situated within an agro-forestry ecosystem of high biodiversity, and involved 10-year-old students. Children were invited to engage with the local nonhuman beings. Through the integration of ritual and drama-based techniques, processes of identification, empathy, and ethical proximity toward the nonhuman world were fostered. The educational process included inquiry into the local natural environment, the adoption of roles representing non-human beings and entities, symbolic representation through mask-making, and the convening of the council across three phases. The intervention concluded with collaborative creative writing and theatrical performance.

The findings, derived from students’ reflective responses and the qualitative analysis of their narratives, indicate the emergence of a critical awareness of anthropogenic intervention in local ecosystems and the vulnerabilities imposed upon nonhuman beings. Concurrently, strong expressions of biophilia (Wilson, 1984), strengthened sense of place (Gruenewald, 2003), and a reconfiguration of their relationship with nonhuman others (Bogan, 2012) emerged. Overall, the results suggest that the Council of All Beings can function as a place-based pedagogical approach that supports a transition from anthropocentric toward ecocentric forms of ecological citizenship, contributing to the early formation of ecological subjectivity within primary education.