The KNOWING Playful Trainings represent a novel approach to enhancing climate literacy by combining scientific content with interactive and narrative-driven methodologies. The trainings aim to support diverse stakeholder groups – including local planners, civil society actors, and business representatives – in making sense of complex climate interactions and in shaping locally grounded climate responses. 

A central innovation of the Playful Trainings format is its contribution to a broadened understanding of climate literacy. Traditionally focused on the cognitive comprehension of climate science (i.e., what is happening and why), the KNOWING Playful Trainings deliberately extend this scope. They integrate: 

• Cognitive knowledge: Core scientific principles, climate impacts, and policy measures. 

• Orientation knowledge: Contextual understanding of how climate change affects specific regions, stakeholder groups, and sectors. 

• Action knowledge: The ability to evaluate options, navigate stakeholder roles, and devise realistic interventions in complex settings. 

These three dimensions are woven into a flexible training blueprint structured into three parts: 

• Part A sets the scene by framing the KNOWING approach in relation to local needs and climate impact contexts. 

• Part B provides key scientific facts and systems knowledge to establish a solid cognitive basis. 

• Part C uses regional storytelling based on the ABT (And, But, Therefore) method to emotionally and practically engage participants, ultimately encouraging local ownership and action. 

The training concept is designed to be modular, multilingual, and adaptable. Facilitators select relevant components depending on audience profiles, available time, and workshop goals. The inclusion of storytelling, group tasks, and discussion formats supports both individual learning and collective reflection. Notably, storytelling enables participants to explore shared values, trade-offs, and place-based challenges, making scientific complexity more relatable and actionable. 

Accessibility and inclusiveness are guiding principles. All materials will be made publicly available and can be translated and culturally adapted by facilitators in different European regions. A presenter’s manual and additional material support practical implementation. 

In sum, the KNOWING Playful Trainings serves a dual purpose: to increase understanding of climate change as a systemic, multi-dimensional issue, and to empower individuals and groups to act in a confident, informed, and collaborative manner. This makes the Playful Trainings a core instrument in the project’s broader mission to support climate-resilient transformation pathways through knowledge, engagement, and empowerment.