Youth Climate Activism: An Annotated Bibliography – Faolan Adams
Youth Climate Activism : An Annotated Bibliography
Faolan Adams
Introduction: When considering possible directions in which to take this assignment, I found myself wondering about the roles of Indigenous youth in the broader climate movement. I realized that I had heard many stories about youth activism in the US that included mostly white participants, but hadn’t heard stories of Indigenous youth in the same roles. I decided to explore this idea further, and was presented with an array of articles that focus on every aspect of Indigenous youth activism. The assignment seeks to understand and bring to the forefront both the motivators and experiences of Indigenous youth activists, and question why these narratives have been excluded from the broader discourse surrounding climate activism.
- Climate change, activism, and supporting the mental health of children and young people: Perspectives from Western Australia
The article by Godden et al. focuses on the mental health impacts that climate change has on youth all over the planet. In particular, Indigenous youth tend to experience these severe mental health impacts at a higher rate, as their lifestyles, traditions, cultures, and identities, are much more closely tied with the places around them. The knowledge that these places are changing for the worse, experiencing catastrophic events like wildfires, hurricanes, droughts, and floods, can be too much to bear, and can cause depression, anxiety, worry, anger, and hopelessness in Indigenous youth. Fortunately, there seems to be hope. Involvement in climate activism has been demonstrated as an excellent way for these youth to escape these feelings of dread and despair, and feel more involved in the change-making process. When Indigenous youth can participate in climate activism, they are much less likely to experience these same detrimental mental health impacts. They also bring unique perspectives to the table, as they tend to have unique and particular knowledge of the land on which they live, and can help teach others about the ways in which this land is changing. The authors of the article argue that the best way that the government can support positive mental health for young people is to address the systems that have been the causes of climate change, like colonialism and capitalism, as well as creating systems that can better support climate change related mental health issues. They also identify the need for more extensive research and data about the impacts of climate change on the mental health of youth, so that lawmakers can more effectively address these needs. Finally, the authors explain the need for more Indigenous youth involvement in climate research and action. Because they are in many ways the ones who will experience the most negative effects of climate change, they absolutely must be more involved in the process of finding solutions. One is reminded of Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass, and more specifically “The Three Sisters,” in which she explores not only the ecological relationship between corn, bean, and squash plants, but also the role of the planter. The role of the human is one that we absolutely must consider, and directly involving Indigenous youth in finding solutions is one way that we can ensure a positive human-nature relationship for years to come.
- Youth Engagement in Climate Change Action: Case Study on Indigenous Youth at COP24
Similarly to the previous article, the authors, MacKay, Parlee, and Karsgaard, focus on the mental health impacts that climate change narratives have on youth, as well as how participation in activism can help to deter these negative mental health issues. The article focuses on the Indigenous communities of the Northwest Territories, Yukon, and Alberta, Canada, and how these youth are particularly at risk for anxiety, depression, worry, anger, and hopelessness, related to climate change discourse. The authors of the article emphasize the importance of creating hopeful narratives when teaching Indigenous youth about the climate crisis, as well as how community and social support systems found particularly within Indigenous communities can become essential in deterring negative mental health effects. The article focuses on the 2018 Conference of the Parties on Climate Change that took place in Poland, and the Indigenous youth who attended this event. The youth who had the opportunity to participate in this particular event reported feeling more heard, more empowered, and more important than ever before. They had the opportunity to share their stories and their particular life experiences, and felt more hopeful about the future of our planet. In conclusion, the article emphasizes the importance of family, community, and social support systems in deterring mental health impacts on Indigneous youth related to climate change. It also highlights the necessary changes in the ways that we teach about climate change – more hopeful and positive methods are necessary in ensuring the well-being of youth. Finally, the article demonstrates how the inclusion on Indigenous youth voices in climate events like COP24 can empower youth to speak up about their experiences, and the rights that they have to a healthy planet. In some ways, one is reminded of The Seed Keeper, and the isolation that both Rosalie and her father feel from their broader Indigenous community. Because they are “the last of the Iron-Wings,” they are the last of the Indigenous people in their area, and are inherently excluded from the white settler community. They have no access to the essential family and community support systems that the author of the article highlights, and they suffer the mental health consequences in the form of depression, anxiety, and alcoholism.
- Living in and out of time: Youth-led activism in Aotearoa New Zealand
The article by Nairn et al. explores the impact of time on two different youth-led social movements in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Protect Ihumatao is a movement that focuses on addressing past discrimination and injustices against the Maori people of New Zealand, while Generation Zero is a project that seeks to address climate change and its impacts. Although both projects are led by groups of youth, they seem to understand time in different ways, and this shows up in the way that they present their cases, as well as the apparent ethical imperatives behind their individual participation in these movements. The goal of the authors is to understand how thinking about time in different ways impacts the motivations behind the movements and the individuals who participate in them, as well as how understanding time in different ways shows up in the work of these movements as they fight for social change. After observing and interviewing the participants in these two youth-led movements, the authors came to a place in which they could see a distinction between the movements and the ways that they understood time and linearity. Protect Ihumatao, a group made up of Maori youth, presented a potential future of intergenerational solutions. They focused less on the responsibility of future generations, and more on the responsibility of all humans that now exist on the planet, presenting a solution that includes everyone. On the other hand, Generation Zero seemed to understand time in the more western or settler-colonialism form – that time is linear. They focused on the idea that “past” generations had failed to successfully address climate change and its impacts, and that it was now up to the youth to take on this responsibility. These observations offer a window into two vastly different cultural perspectives on the concept of time, and what this means in terms of potential solutions to issues that we face. The authors emphasize that having this understanding is essential in understanding the ethical imperatives behind this youth involvement, as well as understanding the solutions that they present. This article in some ways expands on the ideas presented in the ones by Godden et al, and MacKay, Parlee and Karsgaard. – trying to more deeply understand some of the ethical imperatives behind youth desire to contribute to climate change solutions. This article seems to focus on the positive motivators behind Indigenous youth involvement, rather than negative mental health motivators that seems to be more of the focus of the other articles.
- Ecocriticism and Youth Climate Heroes in Southern Africa: Centering Global South Perspectives and Activism in Isaura
The author, Katja Schreiber, focuses on the broader youth-climate activism movement, and the exclusion of African youth activists from the narrative. She begins with some context of effects of climate change in Africa. While providing examples of serious climate-related catastrophes that have occurred in several African countries, she sheds light on the exclusion of African perspectives from the broader climate movement, which tends to highlight voices like that of Greta Thunberg, who is of European descent. She argues that the inclusion of African voices is incredibly important and valuable, as they tend to be on the front lines, experiencing some of the most serious effects of our changing climate. She also brings up the issue of ecocritical children’s literature, which can be an excellent tool for teaching young people about the global climate crisis from the youngest of ages, and highlights the exclusion of African voices and narratives in that area as well. The author argues that these exclusions and erasures are a broader symptom of settler-colonialist ideas that still permeate most global movements, perpetuating the idea that white and European voices are inherently more important, more valuable, and more true. The author argues that the inclusion of African narratives and experiences in global climate movements, as well as in children’s literature, are essential in beginning to deconstruct settler-colonialist systems of systematic exclusion. They can also teach us vital lessons about the real-life impacts of the climate crisis, as African youth have experienced some of the most severe climate-related disasters to date. In many ways, one is once again reminded of some of the underlying concepts that exist in The Seed Keeper, a novel written by Diane Wilson, that chronicles the experiences of a Indigenous woman trying to reconnect with her culture and history. Although her culture has some of the most significant knowledge and understanding about the lands around her, her ideas are not valued by her white husband, or the broader American culture. Rosalie, Gaby, and every other Indigenous person living in the area seem to be locked in a constant battle to protect the land around them, as they strive to share their knowledge with the white farmers who are actively destroying it. If only this Indigenous knowledge and experience was valued as equally important, the community would not be facing issues like river pollution.
- International Indigenous Youth Cooperative (IIYC): Youth, Cultural Sustainability, Resilience, and Survivance
The article by Mark Ericson explores the importance of Indigenous youth participation in finding place-based solutions to climate change. As Indigenou youth are the ones who will inherit the land that has undergone so many significant changes from climate change, it is vital that they are involved in finding multi-generational, and place specific solutions to issues caused by the climate crisis. Ericson focuses on one example of an organization that seeks to include and include Indigenous youth. The International Indigenous Youth Collective supports youth in the goal of preserving not only the land, water, and resources that they rely on, but also their culture, languages, and traditions. This organization helps identify clear paths forward for Indigenous youth who have had negative experiences with “state-imposed education systems,” and have lacked the opportunity to learn more about their own cultural practices. Ericson highlights the idea that youth who have not been given the opportunity to actively participate in both their own communities, as well as the larger change-making process, can often feel hopeless about the future, and cannot accurately envision their own future paths. By involving Indigenous youth directly and providing them with role models within their communities, we give them the opportunity to participate and make real changes. This article by Ericson shares many of the same ideas that are highlighted in the articles by Godden et al. and MacKay, Parlee, and Karsgaard. – that climate change can feel overwhelming to many youth, and inspire feelings of worry and hopelessness. All of the articles point out Indigenous youth’s particular risk for this experience, explaining that they are at higher risk for depression and suicide. While the articles present slightly different solutions to the issues at hand, they all come back to the basic idea of involving Indigenous youth in their own futures, so that they feel more powerful and impactful. It is essential that Indigenous youth are provided an opportunity to not only share their stories of their particular experiences with climate impacts but also their ideas about possible solutions.
Works Cited
Ericson, Mark. “International Indigenous Youth Cooperative (IIYC): Youth, Cultural Sustainability,
Resilience, and Survivance.” Journal of American Indian education 55.3 (2016): 111–133. Web.
Godden, Naomi J et al. “Climate Change, Activism, and Supporting the Mental Health of Children and
Young People: Perspectives from Western Australia.” Journal of paediatrics and child health 57.11 (2021): 1759–1764. Web.
MacKay, Makenzie, Brenda Parlee, and Carrie Karsgaard. “Youth Engagement in Climate Change
Action: Case Study on Indigenous Youth at COP24.” Sustainability (Basel, Switzerland) 12.16 (2020): 6299–. Web.
Nairn, Karen et al. “Living in and Out of Time: Youth-Led Activism in Aotearoa New Zealand.” Time &
society 30.2 (2021): 247–269. Web.
Schreiber, Katja. “Ecocriticism and Youth Climate Heroes in Southern Africa: Centering Global South
Perspectives and Activism in Isaura.” The Lion and the unicorn (Brooklyn) 45.2 (2021):
211–225.Web.
(With correctly formatted works cited below)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pD7ISNVi2PIkJkLtqAfOIwWL4nr1mjOlZlxBTXFW108/edit
