Dimensions of the Sense of Empowerment in the Face of Climate Change

Abstract:

Schools are called upon to play a central role in the empowerment of young people in the face of climate change. This empowerment is based, among other things, on affective dimensions. The importance of these affective dimensions is increasingly illustrated both in research (Zeyer and Kelsey, 2013) and in the public sphere (Rosen, 2020). In this contribution, the relevance of what we call young people’s sense of empowerment is discussed. The dimensions of this sense as well as the conditions of its development in school are defined. Results from this doctoral research are based on focus groups with 29 students from 15 to 17 years old. Focus groups took place in spring 2019 in five different schools in Quebec. Young people we met put forward elements that allow them to feel greater freedom, well-being, opportunity and agency (Sen, 2010) in the face of climate change. These elements can inform what we mean by climate education for the empowerment of young people, which aims at an education for greater social and environmental justice.