Engaging Young People in Climate Change Action: A Scoping Review of Sustainability Programs

Madeleine Hohenhaus (), Jennifer Boddy, Shannon Rutherford, Anne Roiko and Natasha Hennessey
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Madeleine Hohenhaus: School of Medicine and Dentistry (Public Health), Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD 4215, Australia
Jennifer Boddy: Climate Action Beacon, Gold Coast, QLD 4215, Australia
Shannon Rutherford: School of Medicine and Dentistry (Public Health), Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD 4215, Australia
Anne Roiko: Climate Action Beacon, Gold Coast, QLD 4215, Australia
Natasha Hennessey: Climate Action Beacon, Gold Coast, QLD 4215, Australia

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 5, 1-20

Abstract: Young people are stepping forward and engaging in or leading programs promoting climate action and sustainability. To optimize program outcomes, it is important to understand the nature of these programs, as well as their successes and enablers. Consequently, a scoping review was conducted across six databases, Taylor and Francis, Medline, Web of Science, Scopus, Sage and Wiley, to examine existing programs that promote climate change action amongst young people aged 12 to 25 years. The review sought to determine what is known about these programs and their outcomes by documenting what elements contribute to successful behavior changes in young people. Forty-eight articles were included in the review, with almost half of the studies from the United States. Eight elements recurred throughout the reviewed journal articles including intersecting external and internal factors contributing to reported behavior change. External factors included the social environment, place, knowledge, leadership and goal setting development that fostered internal factors that included, self-efficacy, identity, agency and action competence, and systems thinking. Learning from these programs to improve design and ensure sustainable outcomes is key to improving the capabilities of young people to continue responding to the climate challenge.

Keywords: climate action; young people; youth; sustainability; behavior change; programs (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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