Reading slowly together: Facilitated climate literature book clubs and their potential for engaging young people with climate crisis

Williams, Sara-Jayne; Portus, Rosamund; Robertson, Sarah; Alston, Ann

Abstract

Engaging young people with the effects and potential future impacts of climate crisis is essential for facilitating the changes required. These topics and their consequences can be overwhelming, and the emotional responses equally diverse, from anxiety to disengagement, but emotional depth can mean deeper levels of engagement. This paper introduces an empirically tested innovative approach to this challenge. Over a three-month period, a cohort of young participants met three times and actively engaged in a structured and facilitated climate-focused book club where they read one book slowly. Their perspectives and experiences in relation to climate crisis within this context became the focal point of a semi-structured narrative focus group. Thematic analysis of this data, conducted by an interdisciplinary team of researchers, yielded key themes encompassing 1) personal reflections, 2) knowledge acquisition, skill development and behavioural changes, 3) connections to others, 4) enthusiasm, inclusion, and support. Subsequently, the discussion delves into the importance of providing opportunities for shared discussions when reading climate literature and the pivotal role and potential of climate literature as a mechanism for personal and collective meaningful engagement with climate crisis.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Aug 21, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Sep 3, 2024
• Deposit Date: Aug 23, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 4, 2026
• Print ISSN: 1350-4622
• Electronic ISSN: 1469-5871
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis (Routledge)
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2024.2397593
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/12798618