Exploring the role of children and young people as agents of change in sustainable community development

Percy-Smith, Barry; Burns, Danny

doi:10.1080/13549839.2012.729565

Cited by 86 publications

(59 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Percy-Smith and Burns (2013:324) have lamented that broad policy initiatives often lead to 'naïve, simplistic and tokenistic' approaches that allow young people to 'have a say' in relation to environmental issues, without supporting their active participation (see also Percy-Smith, 2010). Notwithstanding these challenges, a growing body of geographical research has highlighted the important roles that young people are playing as agents of environmental change -oftentimes in everyday contexts of home, school and in the wider community (Ballantyne et al, 2001;Breunig et al, 2013;Collins, 2014Collins, , 2015Hadfield-Hill, 2013;Horton et al, 2013;Percy-Smith and Burns, 2013;Vivoni, 2013). Young people's mundane everyday practices have important environmental, ecological and political consequences (Horton et al, 2013).…”

Section: Environmental Sustainability: the Importance Of A Youth-focusmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Policies and government programs are often geared towards equipping children and young people for the roles they can/should play in the future as adults, rather than the important impact that they have as 'authentic participants' in leadership in the present day (Malone, 2001: 8; see also Evans and Honeyford, 2012;Hayward, 2012;Fielding and Head, 2012;Horton et al, 2013;Percy-Smith and Burns, 2013). As Evans and Honeyford (2012:68) [2008][2009][2010], the framing of young people within pre-emptive policy has been one of 'dual positioning' where the concern for the child in the present is often secondary to concerns about future adulthood (see also Malone, 2001).…”

Section: Environmental Sustainability: the Importance Of A Youth-focusmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…First, a significant body of evidence from geography (Hopkins, 2013;Horton et al 2013;Valentine, 2000Valentine, , 2003, environmental education (Ballantyne et al 2001) and sociology (Larsson et al, 2010) has demonstrated that youth is a key period of transition and socialization during which norms, practices, habits and values (including those pertaining to environmental, political and social issues) are established. Geographers have made an important contribution to these debates by highlighting the spatial nature of environmental concern and the importance of home, school and community to enacting environmental practices (Collins, 2014(Collins, , 2015Collins and Hitchings, 2012;Hadfield-Hill, 2013;Horton et al, 2013;Percy-Smith, 2013;Percy-Smith and Burns, 2010). Recent geographical literature has also begun to underline what is distinctively different about contemporary youth, particularly when compared to older generations (Stanes et al, 2015).…”

Section: Environmental Sustainability: the Importance Of A Youth-focusmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Over the past decade, the same generation that has been accused of unbridled consumerism has been lauded for its environmental consciousness and capacity to instigate environmental change at a range of geographical scales (Autio and Heinonen, 2004;Autio et al, 2009;Bentley et al, 2004;Fielding and Head, 2012;Percy-Smith and Burns, 2013). Young people have been shown to play an important role as bearers of environmental knowledge in diverse spaces; the home, the school and within and across communities (Autio et al, 2009;Ballantyne et al, 2001;Breunig et al, 2013;Collins, 2014Collins, .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Young people have been shown to play an important role as bearers of environmental knowledge in diverse spaces; the home, the school and within and across communities (Autio et al, 2009;Ballantyne et al, 2001;Breunig et al, 2013;Collins, 2014Collins, . 2015Hadfield-Hill, 2013;Horton et al, 2013;Larsson et al, 2010;Percy-Smith and Burns, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Young People in the Global North: Environmental Heroes or Pleasure-Seeking Consumers

Stanes¹,

Klocker²

2016

Geographies of Global Issues: Change and Threat

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Young people in the Global North have disparate identities in relation to environmental sustainability; they are purportedly more knowledgeable and concerned about the environment and climate change than older generations, but are also typecast as leaders of a hedonistic consumer culture. This chapter undertakes a critical review of the key research trajectories across geography, youth studies, and the social sciences that pertain to young people, consumption, and environmentalism. It draws on recent research that has sought to complicate the positioning of contemporary young people as either "hedonistic consumers" or "environmental heroes." The reality, for many young people, lies in between these two visions. This chapter foregrounds recent research that eschews a one-size-fits-all approach to young people, consumption, and environmentalism, by highlighting their unique everyday sustainabilities. AbstractYoung people in the Global North have disparate identities in relation to environmental sustainability; they are purportedly more knowledgeable and concerned about the environment and climate change than older generations, but are also typecast as leaders of a hedonistic consumer culture. This chapter undertakes a critical review of the key research trajectories across geography, youth studies and the social sciences that pertain to young people, consumption and environmentalism. It draws on recent research that has sought to complicate the positioning of contemporary young people as either 'hedonistic consumers' or 'environmental heroes'. The reality, for many young people, lies in between these two visions. This chapter foregrounds recent research that eschews a one-size-fits-all approach to young people, consumption and environmentalism, by highlighting their unique everyday sustainabilities.

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Section: Environmental Sustainability: the Importance Of A Youth-focusmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Environmental Sustainability: the Importance Of A Youth-focusmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Environmental Sustainability: the Importance Of A Youth-focusmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Young People in the Global North: Environmental Heroes or Pleasure-Seeking Consumers

Stanes¹,

Klocker²

2016

Geographies of Global Issues: Change and Threat

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How do young people engage with climate change? The role of knowledge, values, message framing, and trusted communicators

Corner

Roberts

Chiari

et al. 2015

WIREs Climate Change

305

197

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Despite several decades of research on more effectively communicating climate change to the general public, there is only a limited amount of knowledge about how young people engage with an issue that will shape and define their generation. We provide a thorough review of international studies in this area, drawing on survey data and qualitative research. The review is organized into two main sections. The first briefly situates young people's engagement with climate change relative to other concerns and examines levels of awareness, concern and 'scepticism' among this age group. The second focuses on four key determinants of effective climate change communication and assess whether young people differ in any appreciable way from research findings relating to the general population. The four factors are the role of values and worldviews in determining climate change views; the efficacy of 'information-based' interventions; the 'psychological distance' of climate change and message framing; and the role of trusted messengers. In the concluding section we discuss the implications for engaging young people more effectively and explore possibilities for future research. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. How to cite this article:WIREs Clim Change 2015Change , 6:523-534. doi: 10.1002 INTRODUCTION Y oung people are in a unique position as they face the reality of a changing climate. National and international legislation for mitigating climate change typically operates on decadal timescales, with many targets for decarbonization focusing on the 2020-2050 time period.1 As the generation whose adult lives will overlap most closely with this policy window, they are potentially best-placed to define the long-term societal response to climate change. Yet they are also the most vulnerable to the legacy of decisions made by the older generations. Although young people arguably have the most to gain and the most to lose in a changing climate, their voices are not prominent in the political, media, or cultural discourse on climate change 2 and (as the evidence presented in this review shows) engagement with climate change among this important demographic group is in many ways limited.While some studies have captured young people's views about climate change, there is very little existing research exploring ways in which this population could be more effectively engaged. There is, however, a much larger literature on environmental psychology that dates back to the 1960s and, more recently, 523environmental education theory, both of which provide valuable and relevant insights. While we situate the current review within this broader literature and draw from it on occasion, the focus is on evidence directly related to climate change and how people aged 12-25 engage with this issue specifically. We define 'young people' using this broad age category for two reasons. First, there is no universally agreed definition of 'youth,' and studies in this review that have described their sample using terms such as 'young adults' or 'young peop...

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Sustainable Future for Early Childhood: Applying the African Ubuntu Philosophy to Contribute to the Holistic Development of Young Children

Koen

2021

Sustainable Development in Africa

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Exploring the role of children and young people as agents of change in sustainable community development

Cited by 86 publications

References 18 publications

Young People in the Global North: Environmental Heroes or Pleasure-Seeking Consumers

Young People in the Global North: Environmental Heroes or Pleasure-Seeking Consumers

How do young people engage with climate change? The role of knowledge, values, message framing, and trusted communicators

Sustainable Future for Early Childhood: Applying the African Ubuntu Philosophy to Contribute to the Holistic Development of Young Children

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