The kids are alright. Are they? Exploring the intersection of climate change education, sustainability, and policy design for empowering youth - Alexandra Ciocănel & Andrada Istrate

Across the European Union, a youthful demographic (ages 15-34) is increasingly preoccupied with climate change and sustainability. Nevertheless, there is a significant gap between their intentions and actions, between what they would like to do and what they are able to do. Drawing on a more extensive study on climate change and youth in Romania and the EU, we focus on a problem space that centres around education as the main domain for co-productive interventions that could address this gap. In our research, when discussing youth engagement with climate change, the experts and young people interviewed champion education as a sine qua non condition for empowering youth. However, there is a pervasive structural misunderstanding among policymakers and experts about the perspectives, interests, ways of learning, and thought processes of the youth. This disconnect extends to misconceptions on the most effective ways to educate and engage them in these matters.Article by Alexandra Ciocănel & Andrada Istrate, illustrated by Melinda Ureczki Lázár https://theanthro.art/the-kids-are-alright-are-they-exploring-the-intersection-of-climate-change-education-sustainability-and-policy-design-for-empowering-youth-alexandra-ciocanel-andrada-istrate/