Exploring co-production with young people in challenging the climate crisis

Portus, Rosamund; Fahy, Frances; Reilly, Kathy

Abstract

At a time when eco-anxiety is becoming a defining characteristic of young people’s lives (see: Hickman et al., 2021), there is a critical need to prioritise meaningful climate conversations within education. The ‘Challenging the Climate Crisis: Children’s Agency to Tackle Policy Underpinned by Learning for Transformation’ (CCC-Catapult) project seeks to respond to this call. Specifically, building on the principles of co-production, the CCC-Catapult project brings together researchers and young people in Tampere (Finland), Bristol (UK), Galway (Ireland) and Genoa (Italy) to examine experiences of learning and agency during the climate emergency, with a view to developing transformative resources for progressive climate change education. As a project CCC-Catapult incorporates a multi-method approach including a survey of approximately 2,000 young people, focus groups, and visual creative methods such as storyboarding and deep mapping. Data for the project is predominantly, though not exclusively, collected through school settings. To ensure that the research is genuinely meaningful for young people, CCC-Catapult is collaborating directly with 15–18-year-olds in each project location; this process of co-production has been facilitated by and through the formation of Youth Action Partnerships (YAPs). To this end, our paper will focus on this co-productive process, exploring the value of such collaborative actions for deepening research insights within current conceptualisations of climate education. YAP members will be invited to reflect on their role in shaping the research process, sharing their stories and reflections within this presentation, either in-person or through recorded testimonials.

• Presentation Conference Type: Presentation / Talk
• Conference Name: RGS-IBG Annual International Conference
• Start Date: Sep 1, 2022
• End Date: Sep 1, 2022
• Deposit Date: Oct 5, 2022
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/10019148