Futureless and Voiceless? Citizenship, Democracy and Youth Climate Activism

Context to the Research

2019 was marked by street protest. Both globally and in the UK climate crisis was a key driver of demonstrations among adults and, to the surprise of some, schoolchildren. Inspired by Greta Thunberg, a 16-year-old Swedish climate activist who had started a sole protest in 2018, children have established an international youth climate movement (IYCM). This movement is notable for its membership - school age children in the main - and its chosen method of protest: the school strike. Following the first UK school strike in March 2019 participation grew and by the end of 2019 hundreds of thousands of children had participated in climate activism within the UK, with an estimated 1.4 million children involved worldwide Research often claims young people are apathetic and disengaged from politics whilst acts such as voting are being replaced with social activism What the school strikes suggest is that, among children, there is a drive for political participation and forms of protest, with children demanding a voice in the debate about how to respond to the climate crisis. Therefore, the IYCM provides significant insight into the politics of contested futures while, as the voters of tomorrow, members of the IYCM could potentially reshape mainstream politics.

Aims and Objectives

This research aims to better understand how youth climate activism as a social movement represents new forms of citizenship, political participation and protest. Furthermore, it is also interested in how children involved in the youth climate movement think about the future and how their feelings, expectations and fears about their own futures motivate their participation in the IYCM. Additionally, it will also look at how adults have reacted to the school strike movement. This will illuminate how the somewhat surprising intervention of children, an often misrepresented and marginalised group within society, has been received by "the grown-ups". Have children and their opinions been embraced and encouraged or has the reaction of the adult population been a more traditional view that children should be seen and not heard?

Benefits of this Research

This research hopes to provide fresh insight into how children view their position within society given their relative powerlessness, how young people feel about citizenship and what children consider the value is of political engagement. The project will also shed light on childhood feelings of futurelessness to provide better understanding of how issues like the climate crisis impact upon youth mental health. My findings will therefore be beneficial to educators, policymakers, UK and global politicians, NGOs and those looking to engage with children on political issues. It will also be of considerable value in the design of initiatives that address youth mental health by providing a better understanding of what issues attached to the future children most need addressed and how. Additionally, this research will benefit academic understanding by addressing gaps in our knowledge about youth activism, how children themselves view their futures especially when reflecting upon existential threats such as the climate crisis and what voice children believe they should have in deciding those futures. Additionally, by researching responses and reactions from a wide variety of different adult voices bto the school strikes and the IYCM this study will provide valuable insights that could be beneficial in establishing meaningful dialogue between todays adults and the adults of tomorrow.