Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-jkksz Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-25T17:01:28.122Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Chapter 18 - Activists’ Perspectives

Using Climate Activism to Heal Youth Climate Distress

from Part II - Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Youth Climate Distress

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 June 2024

By
Jennifer Uchendu  and
Elizabeth Haase
Edited by
Elizabeth Haase  and
Kelsey Hudson
Elizabeth Haase
Affiliation:
University of Nevada, Reno
Kelsey Hudson
Affiliation:
Climate Psychology Alliance North America
Get access

Summary

This chapter by Jennifer Uchendu and Elizabeth Haase is dedicated to children and youth-led activism, with a focus on Jennifer’s journey as a youth climate activist leading work at SustyVibes in Nigeria. SustyVibes is a youth-led and youth-focused organization making sustainability actionable and relatable for young people through community-led projects. The chapter chronicles aspects of Jennifer’s journey that may be significant for young people and researchers of youth activism. We also discuss the main types of activism and highlight principles that have been adopted by youth climate activist groups to help them be most inclusive and effective, preventing burnout and group devolution. Drawing from Jennifer’s experience with eco-anxiety and related stress, we review the literature on the risks and benefits of activism – for youth mental health and for youth climate activists in particular – in hopes that her story can be generalizable and empowering to others.

Keywords

climate changeactivismyouth activismeco-anxietySustyVibesclimate activismcivil disobedienceburnoutregenerativemental health
Type
Chapter
Information
Climate Change and Youth Mental Health
Multidisciplinary Perspectives
 , pp. 347 - 366
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Alexander, A. C., Waring, J. J. C., Noble, B., Bradley, D., Olurotimi, O., Fronheiser, J., …, & Kendzor, D. E. (2023). Perceptions of mental health and exploring the role of social activism among African Americans exposed to media coverage of police brutality and protests. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, 10(3), 1403–1413. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-022-01326-2CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Alisat, S., & Riemer, M. (2015). The environmental action scale: Development and psychometric evaluation. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 43, 13–23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2015.05.006CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Anderson, J. (2013). Five principles of useful political activism. https://blogs.dcvelocity.com/policy/2013/09/five-principles-of-useful-political-activism.htmlGoogle Scholar
Ballard, P. J., & Ozer, E. (2016). The implications of youth activism for health and well-being. In Conner, J. O. & Rosen, S. M. (Eds.), Contemporary youth activism (pp. 223–243). ABC-CLIO.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bandura, A. (2000). Exercise of human agency through collective efficacy. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 9(3), 75–78. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8721.00064CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bright, M. & Eames, C. (2022). From apathy through anxiety to action: Emotions as motivators for youth climate strike leaders. Australian Journal of Environmental Education, 38(1), 13–25. https://doi.org/10.1017/aee.2021.22CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Christens, B. D., Winn, L. T., & Duke, A. M. (2016). Empowerment and critical consciousness: A conceptual cross-fertilization. Adolescent Research Review, 1(1), 15–27. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40894-015-0019-3CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Clayton, S., & Karazsia, B. T. (2020). Development and validation of a measure of climate change anxiety. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 69, 101434. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2020.101434CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Conner, J. O., Crawford, E., & Galioto, M. (2023a). The mental health effects of student activism: Persisting despite psychological costs. Journal of Adolescent Research, 38(1), 80–109. https://doi.org/10.1177/07435584211006789CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Conner, J. O., Greytak, E., Evich, C. D., & Wray-Lake, L. (2023b). Burnout and belonging: How the costs and benefits of youth activism affect youth health and wellbeing. Youth, 3(1), 127–145. https://doi.org/10.3390/youth3010009CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eisenberg, N. & Fabes, R. A. (1998). Prosocial development. In Eisenberg, N. (Ed.), Handbook of child psychology: Vol. 3. Social, emotional, and personality development (5th ed., pp. 701–778). Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470147658.chpsy0311Google Scholar
Fernandez, J. & Watts, R.J. (2022). Sociopolitical development as emotional work: How young organizers engage emotions to support community organizing for transformative racial justice. Journal of Adolescent Research, 38(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/07435584221091497Google Scholar
Fernandez-Ballesteros, R., Diez-Nicolas, J., Caprara, G. V., Barbaranelli, C., & Bandura, A. (2002). Determinants and structural relation of personal efficacy to collective efficacy. Applied Psychology, 51(1), 107–125. https://doi.org/10.1111/1464-0597.00081CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fine, M., Torre, M. E., Frost, D. M., & Cabana, A. L. (2018). Queer solidarities: New activisms erupting at the intersection of structural precarity and radical misrecog- nition. Journal of Social and Political Psychology, 6(2), 608–630. https://doi.org/10.5964/jspp.v6i2.905CrossRefGoogle Scholar
French, B., Lewis, J., Mosley, D., Adames, H., Chavez-Duenas, N., Chen, G., & Neville, H. (2020). Towards a psychological framework for radical healing in communities of color. The Counseling Psychologist, 48(1), 14–46. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000019843506CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gilster, M. E. (2012). Comparing neighborhood-focused activism and volunteerism: Psychological well-being and social connectedness. Journal of Community Psychology, 40(7), 769–784. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.20528CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Godden, N. J., Farrant, B. M., Yallup Farrant, J., Heyink, E., Carot Collins, E., Burgemeister, B., …, & Cooper, T. (2021). Climate change, activism, and supporting the mental health of children and young people: Perspectives from Western Australia. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, 57(11), 1759–1764. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpc.15649CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gorski, P. C. & Chen, C. (2015). “Frayed all over:” The causes and consequences of activist burnout among social justice education activists. Educational Studies (Ames), 51(5), 385–405. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131946.2015.1075989CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gulliver, R. (2022). Australian campaign case study: Stop Adani (2012–2022). The Commons Library. https://commonslibrary.org/australian-campaign-case-study-stop-adani-2012-2022/Google Scholar
Harré, N. (2007). Community service or activism as an identity project for youth. Journal of Community Psychology, 35(6), 711–724. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.20174CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kirshner, B. (2007). Introduction: Youth activism as a context for learning and development. American Behavioral Scientist, 51(3), 367–379. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764207306065CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kirshner, B. (2009). “Power in numbers”: Youth organizing as a context for exploring civic identity. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 19(3), 414–440. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-7795.2009.00601.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Klar, M., & Kasser, T. (2009). Some benefits of being an activist: Measuring activism and its role in psychological well-being. Political Psychology, 30(5), 755–777. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9221.2009.00724.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Larson, R. W. & Hansen, D. (2005). The development of strategic thinking: Learning to impact human systems in a youth activism program. Human Development, 48, 327–349. https://doi.org/10.1159/000088251CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Maslach, C. & Gomes, M.E. (2006). Overcoming burnout. In MacNair, R. M. (Ed.), Working for peace: A handbook of practical psychology and other tools (pp. 43–50). Impact Publishers.Google Scholar
Montague, A. C. & Eiroa-Orosa, F. J. (2017a). Exploring the role of engagement on well-being and personal development: A review of adolescent and mental health activism. In Brown, N. J. L., Lomas, T., & Eiroa-Orosa, F. J. (Eds.), The Routledge international handbook of critical positive psychology (pp. 437–446). Routledge.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Montague, A. P., & Eiroa-Orosa, F. J. (2017b). In it together: Exploring how belonging to a youth activist group enhances well-being. Journal of Community Psychology, 46(1), 23–43. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.21914CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mouawad, J. (2009). Shell to pay $15.5 million to settle Nigerian case. New York Times, June 9. www.nytimes.com/2009/06/09/business/global/09shell.html?ref=globalGoogle Scholar
Moyer, B. (2001). Doing democracy: The MAP model for organizing social movements. New Society Publishers, as adopted by The Commons Library, https://commonslibrary.org/the-four-roles-of-social-activism/ (accessed May 28, 2023).Google Scholar
Ogoni Case Study (n.d.). The curse of oil in Ogoniland. http://websites.umich.edu/~snre492/cases_03-04/Ogoni/Ogoni_case_study.htmGoogle Scholar
Pancer, S. M., Pratt, M., Hunsberger, B., & Alisat, S. (2007). Community and political involvement in adolescence: What distinguishes the activists from the uninvolved? Journal of Community Psychology, 35(6), 741–759. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.20176CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pearce, N., & Larson, R. (2006). How teens become engaged in youth development programs: The process of motivational change in a civic activism organization. Applied Developmental Science, 10(3), 121–131. https://doi.org/10.1207/s1532480xads1003_2CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schwartz, S.E.O., Benoit, L., Clayton, S., Parnes, M. F., Swenson, L., & Lowe, S. R. (2023). Climate change anxiety and mental health: Environmental activism as buffer. Current Psychology, 42, 16708–16721. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-02735-6CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sharma, R. (2021). Learning to recycle is not enough: Youth-led climate activism and climate change education. In Iyengar, R. & Kwauk, C. T. (Eds.), Curriculum and learning for climate action: Toward an SDG 4.7 roadmap for systems change (Vol. 5). Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004471818Google Scholar
Smith, K.B., Hibbing, M.V., & Hibbing, J.R. (2019) Friends, relatives, sanity, and health: The costs of politics. PLoS ONE, 14(9), e0221870. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0221870CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
UN General Assembly (1989). Convention on the Rights of the Child, November, 20. United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1577, p. 3. www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6b38f0.html, accessed May 28, 2023.Google Scholar
Wretched of the Earth (2019). An open letter to extinction rebellion. www.redpepper.org.uk/an-open-letter-to-extinction-rebellion/Google Scholar
Zari (2020). Basic activism principles. https://standuptothegrownups.net/147/basic-activism-principles/Google Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure no-reply@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×