Visualizing change: How young people document and enhance climate action using online activism
Image: "Act Now" banner held up at the 2023 Festival of Action.
Children and young people have always been active in shaping the political landscape and in Australia they are taking the lead in advocating for climate justice, both online and offline.
The project New Possibilities: Young People and Democratic Renewal investigates how young Australians contribute to the climate justice movement online and offline. An interactive workshop, titled 'Researching Student Climate Activism', provided research insights and centered the visual strategies that underpin the youth climate justice movement in Australia. The hosts of the workshop were Y&R Co-director Professor Philippa Collin, Y&R Postdoctoral Research Fellow Dr Luigi Di Martino, and Student Researcher Dinusha Soo. Dinusha is one of eight young co-researchers involved in this project.
This event was a part of the 2023 Festival of Action, an annual social justice and climate action initiative for Western Sydney University students, staff and communities. Workshop participants were from a range of backgrounds including interdepartmental colleagues, interdisciplinary undergraduate and postgraduate students, and community members who found out about the opportunity through climate advocacy networks.
The workshop began with a commitment to advocating for First Nations Justice and then outlined the vital role children and young people have historically played throughout political movements. Participants enjoyed interactive activities including an opportunity to detail and share their personal achievements towards climate action. The group also took part in a workshop detailing the project’s research methodologies, including how to classify and code the visual imagery of social media posts for research analysis.
Image: Y&R Co-director Prof Philippa Collin leading an interactive discussion-based activity with workshop participants
“Even though the student climate movement isn’t new, there’s been so little public engagement - and research into young people’s leadership of climate activism” says Professor Collin, who is always looking out for new partnerships and opportunities to showcase the student climate movement to the public. The Powerhouse Late: Climate event is an of example of how Y&R members are using visual language to engage artists, scientists, public institutions and researchers for accessible public education. Professor Collin is also a supporter of young people’s involvement in democracy and was a panellist for the Make it 16 campaign’s Sydney launch, which aims to lower Australia’s voting age from 18 years old to 16 years old.
A key takeaway from the workshop was that climate change should be prioritised as a public health issue and not only as a matter of youth policy. Although physical attendance at climate protests has wavered, which some young people attribute to fatigue, the movement and community building is still underway.
The New Possibilities: Young People and Democratic Renewal project has been funded by the Western Sydney University, University of New South Wales, University of Sydney, RMIT University and the Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Project program.
