Young Change Agents for Climate Change (YCA4CC) 

Partnering Institute: Global Change Institute, 老虎机游戏_pt老虎机-平台*官网 of the Witwatersrand

Project lead: Distinguished Professor Coleen Vogel

About the project: Transformative societal change, many argue, will be necessary in order to respond to the growing unprecedented global environmental change  that surrounds us including climate change (Feola, 2015; Gillard et al,  2016; Collof et al, 2017; Fazey et al, 2018;). There is little current evidence available of how to bring about transformational change both in policy and in practice leaving large research gaps. Values, perceptions and belief systems have all been identified as key domains for transformational change (Fazey et al, 2018; Moore et al, 2014; O’Brien & Sygna, 2013). There is latent power in the way humans value the environment, which if unlocked, can transform social systems (Collof et al, 2017; Abson et al, 2016; Fazey et al, 2017). One group of society that has such potential for environmental change and transformation is the ‘youth’. Young change agents are a “vital human resource for development, positive social change, and innovation” (El Zoghbi, 2013:1). Young change agents for climate change, have until very recently received little attention, “despite the fact that their fate is  inextricably intertwined with that of the planet” (UNFCCC, 2009:36).Young people are exposed to future risks, including climate change and climate variability, which are projected to increase over time (Odeku, 2012). Cohorts of very active youth and young change agents already constitute a sizeable number in South Africa all seeking jobs and meaningful forms of well being. Youth, aged 15-34, make up 36 percent of the South African population totaling, 20 395 310 people (StatsSA, 2018, Smit, 2019), with children (aged 0 – 14) young people making up over two  thirds of the South African population at 65,5 percent (ibid).This contribution to the CoP, focusing on the theme climate action, seeks to investigate how youth could be/ become a powerful voice for change” (Smit, 2019).

“Despite the fact that young people have historically played a significant role in social and political struggles, many studies show that youth in South Africa are marginalised, isolated and excluded from social and political processes, where “youth are seen in a fundamental sense as disempowered and excluded” (Mkandawire, 2012:3). Over the last few decades there have been ongoing calls for youth participation, but these have only resulted in ‘very modest’ achievements (Richter & Panday, 2007). Youth inclusion is often seen as tokenistic (Thew, 2018), for decoration (O’Brien et al, 2018), and
youth only gain visibility when they are seen as a problem (Richter & Panday, 2007) or pose a threat (Everatt, 2001). There is also a fundamental gap “between the goal of integrating youth in development and the capacity of society to provide youth with opportunities to participate in development” (Richter & Panday, 2007:301)” (Smit, 2019, introduction). Young people are, however, increasingly becoming very active change agents internationally particularly regarding current and future environmental concerns. Movements include the international student-led think tank CliMates, the Youth Climate Change Movement YOUNGO and YESS (Young Earth Systems Science) community which all aim to empower and mobilise young change agents for the environment. In Africa the YESS group is very strong and also the Jeunes Volontaires pour I’Environnement (JVE), currently in sixteen countries, is putting pressure on government to take climate change seriously (see Kale, Kosciulek & Vogel, 2017). Attempts to ‘officially’ include youth in policy platforms and country programming, as these examples show, however, exists mainly in the Global North and are largely often top down and very ‘tokenistic’ (Haynes and Tanner, 2015; Thew, 2018; Vogel, Fenton & Smit, 2018; Smit, 2019). In the research outline presented here the focus will be on trying to change this ‘top-down’ narrative by further enabling youth change agents to more fully harness and realize their potential as active change agents in South Africa. Many are already mobilizing and we as academics and formal educators need to harness this energy and step alongside our younger colleagues. Working in co-designed ways and by using transdiciplinary approaches we will try and work alongside our colleagues in better understanding and bringing about transformational change (Meadows, 1999; Waddock et al, 2015; Winkler et al, 2015). The research will be located in the Johannesburg Metropole, where we will identify youth organisations (on and off campus) who are engaged in climate action. The research will probe the climate actions that they are engaged in, and with them co-design and expand the climate actions that they are engaged with. The research will seek to make policy  contributions by foregrounding the role and contribution of youth in climate change policy implementation, science outcomes by developing theory and methodology for supporting youth engagement in climate action via transdisciplinary science, and transformative social learning. It  will also contribute to practice outcomes by seeking to support and expand co-engaged climate actions being pioneered by youth. The research will also seek to strengthen and deepen reflexivity and knowledge(s) of climate change and action amongst the participating youth. Comparative analysis will also be possible with CoP Partners working on climate change action in communities and amongst youth groups such as the 老虎机游戏_pt老虎机-平台*官网 of Fort Hare ISER and the Rhodes 老虎机游戏_pt老虎机-平台*官网 Amanzi for Food co-engaged research programme which has a strongly emerging youth climate action component. The research can also provide insights into tools and approaches for curriculum development as much curriculum for climate change is science oriented, rather than social change oriented. Climate change education also lacks positive framings that offer young people hope. As Smit (2019) has argued, the youth demographic profile is significant for a number of reasons. "Firstly, the sheer number of young people in South Africa denotes that through pro-environmental behaviour and practices they can have an impact on environmental sustainability in the country. Secondly, as they constitute over a third of the population they can influence and shape culture and social norms. And thirdly, through mobilisation and social action, they could be a powerful voice for change”.

Distinguished Professor Coleen Vogel

Distinguished Professor Coleen Vogel will be a lead co-investigator for the theme 'climate action' in the CoP. She will also lead an investigation into youth agency for climate action, via a transdisciplinary, co-engaged approach. She will also link with other COP researchers working on climate action, and assist the CoP to align outcomes with the latest climate change science, policy and practice directions. She will also lead alignment with Global Change Policy, especially also GC Social Science policy, and she is currently involved in leading such a policy process nationally, to which the CoPs research will contribute.

Global Change Institute, 老虎机游戏_pt老虎机-平台*官网 of the Witwatersrand 

The Global Change Institute, 老虎机游戏_pt老虎机-平台*官网 of the Witwatersrand, was established as an enabling research platform of global significance and local impact, fostering informed action for adaptation and innovation in the rapidly changing southern African region. The GCI addresses problems related to global change, climate change and sustainability in a multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary manner. It wants to play a  more prominent role in helping to co-create, understand and inform global change solutions at various levels of decision-making (in business, industry and government – municipal, provincial, national); and to function as an enabling platform utilising research to support progressive change through collaborative efforts with stakeholders.

Last Modified: Fri, 10 Sep 2021 16:41:57 SAST