TakingITGlobal

Teachers didn't encourage [us] to do something, they were just telling us, giving us knowledge, not actually getting us to do things. ( P T U J , I N T E R V I E W ) Team members from ACLYN were the only ones who had engaged (and perhaps the only ones with the opportunity to engage) in satisfying climate change actions outside of school. Youth especially are playing a massive role in how climate action is taking place in Alberta. I have had the pleasure of seeing and being a part of youth speaking up about what we are facing, and I am proud to say that we have made a difference. Not only in our schools but also in our communities, cities, and province. Youth are not just the future, we are the present, and it is us who are able to create change. ( C A L G A R Y , B L O G 2 C ) Team member engagement through school was far more common, though most often initiated by an individual teacher, rather than by the institution itself. It is telling that even team members from Calgary joined ACLYN through the encouragement of a particular teacher. THE ROLE OF TE ACHERS Teacher outreach and relationships with students, combined with team members' unique passion, was crucial to team members' involvement in the IPCC project. Though critical of their education, every team member noted that their opportunity to participate in the IPCC project was provided by their teachers, who were themselves passionate about climate change. Teachers either announced the project and assessed candidates' interest, or directly asked students to be involved in the project because they showed passion in previous initiatives. This highlights the important role that teacher relationships hold for youth engagement, and the value of teachers who focus on climate change education, while also drawing attention to the lack of structural, institutional, and curriculum support that necessitates reliance on individual teachers. 2 .1. 4 Emo tions and Mo ti va tion t o Engage: W hy Car e A bou t Clima te Change ? As the above section suggests, a pre-existing passion for the environment was essential for team member participation in the IPCC project; without it, teachers would not have chosen these particular students. In contrast to the common psychological response of avoiding climate change (Hibberd & Nguyen, 2013; Markowitz & Shariff, 2012; Ojala 2016; Norgaard 2011), these students responded to feelings of helplessness, fear and frustration with a sense of urgency. The majority of the team expressed that, upon learning about climate change, they felt helplessness and grief, as well as frustration with inadequate actions taken by schools and governments. Many indicated that their desire to overcome feelings of helplessness was a key reason for participating in the IPCC project. 34 | F I N D I N G S

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