TakingITGlobal

greenhouse gas emissions. This justice lens informed their broader perspective on climate change and appropriate responses to it, and provided motivation to act without the promise of salvation. 4. Many youth expressed strong and difficult emotional reactions to climate change. The means by which climate change is introduced in the classroom, and the lack of peer and family support experienced by many, however, had a tendency to stifle those emotional responses. This study, and the collaborative project itself, showed clearly that youth (and everyone) need spaces where their emotional responses to climate change are acknowledged. Emotions can be a source of motivation to act if supported in constructive ways. In fact, many youth expressed strong feelings of hope and enthusiasm toward the end of the project, which they attributed directly to their engagement with the project itself. 5. We observed among these youth an overarching tendency to individualize responsibility and to conceive of solutions in individualized terms. Considering the essential role of organized, collective action in generating the changes required to address climate change, these findings may indicate the prevalence of neoliberalism even in communities located in widely varying places around the globe. Further, findings indicate a gap in educational curriculum regarding the role of collective, organized action in social change, including the skills—both with social media and on the ground—required to participate in such action. 6. Most youth participants referred to the critical importance of role models, whether at home, in school, in the broader community, or even on the internet, for supporting their concern and commitment. 7. Schools and educators play an essential role in cultivating the awareness, commitment, and skills that youth need now, and in the future, to address climate change. This study offers strong support for active and participatory learning, which can be implemented creatively even with limited resources. Recommendations • Youth: Know your rights and assert them. Work together with other youth and organizations that exist around the globe. • Educators: Engage with climate change yourself. Be role models, and demonstrate how to navigate the emotional impacts of climate change. Champion climate justice and collective action. • Policy Makers: Create space and opportunities for youth to engage with climate change whenever and wherever you can. Youth are powerful stakeholders and will inherit the effects of today's policies. | 03 Y O U T H A N D C L I M A T E C H A N G E 2 0 1 8 E D I T I O N

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