Climate Youth Activism Initiatives: Motivations and Aims, and the Potential to Integrate Climate Activism into ESD and Transformative Learning

Matthias Kowasch, Joana P. Cruz, Pedro Reis, Niklas Gericke and Katharina Kicker
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Matthias Kowasch: Institute of Secondary Teacher Education, University College of Teacher Education Styria, 8010 Graz, Austria
Joana P. Cruz: Faculdade de Psicologia e de Ciências da Educação, Universidade do Porto, 4099-002 Porto, Portugal
Pedro Reis: Instituto de Educação, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-013 Lisboa, Portugal
Niklas Gericke: Department of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Karlstad, 651 88 Karlstad, Sweden
Katharina Kicker: Department of Geography and Regional Science, University of Graz, 8010 Graz, Austria

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 21, 1-25

Abstract: For about two years, the climate youth activism initiative Fridays for Future has addressed climate emergency, receiving considerable attention because of their consistent protests every week in many different locations worldwide. Based on empirical studies in Austria and Portugal, this paper investigates the motivations of students to participate in the movement and the solutions proposed by young activists to fight against climate emergency. Moreover, we discuss the integration of climate change activism into ESD (education for sustainable development) and transformative learning processes, and how this enables environmental citizenship. The results of the studies reveal that emotions and feelings of solidarity and collective aims are motives to participate in the strikes. The young activists sometimes propose innovative and sometimes radical solutions to climate emergency. Both demonstrations and exhibitions as forms of bottom-up climate activism initiatives contribute to engagement in political dialogue and scientific knowledge transfer. They can be seen as “triggers of change” for transformative learning.

Keywords: climate activism; Fridays for Future; Education for Sustainable Development (ESD); transformative learning; Environmental Citizenship (EC); shift in consciousness (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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