Guiding questions
The following research questions have been considered and refined over the course of the project:
What socio-political and environmental conditions have given rise to the contemporary phenomenon of school-aged students’ climate justice activism on the continent and islands now known as Australia?
How are young people taking action for climate justice with others within and beyond schools, and how are they learning from and teaching others?
How have schools and educational systems fostered and/ or constrained students’ climate justice activism?
Methods
The three intertwined Dimensions of the Striking Voices project have worked with conversational and collective, creative methods. These methods have encouraged critical reflections with young people, their mentors and teachers, across a range of backgrounds, places, communities and grassroots groups, on climate justice, action and education.
Dimensions
1: Conditions for Climate Justice
Dimension 1 has considered the historical, socio-political and environmental conditions that gave rise to young people engaging in climate justice organising and campaigning in (so-called) Australia in recent years, as well as the collective, trans-generational and cross-movement support networks that have sustained young people’s climate justice advocacy over time.
WHO:
Young people (12-24 years old) attending climate-related actions/ events
Climate justice organisers (across ages)
HOW:
- An anonymous online survey (20 mins)
- 2-10 minute short conversations, with the option to share 3-8 photos of forms of climate action
- 40-60 min conversations with climate justice mentors.
2: Striking Voices
Dimension 2 has prioritised the voices of young people themselves. It begins in the midst of what young people are already doing: how young people are taking action on climate change in multiple ways, within and beyond formal education – through active participation in a social movement, as well as the routines and rhythms of their everyday lives. These inventive modes of change-making have ranged from recognisable modes of embodied ‘activism’ (e.g. rallying and blockading), to storytelling and humour on social media, strategic jurisprudence, dance, art and cultural practices, mutual aid, community gardening, to multiple other manifestations of ‘everyday’ activism.
WHO:
Young people who identified as having been involved in climate justice action/ activism(s) in recent years, as a school student (past or present) (12-24 years old)
HOW:
- One or two 40-60 min conversations over a 3-6 month period, with the option to share 1-8 photos/ files
- Online Group Creative Workshops – sharing then-emerging project findings, with the invitation to create a zine-in-response.
3: School Climate for Justice
Dimension 3 has considered the voices of young people themselves. It begins in the midst of what young people are already doing: how young people are taking action on climate change in multiple ways, within and beyond formal education – through active participation in a social movement, as well as the routines and rhythms of their everyday lives. These inventive modes of change-making have ranged from recognisable modes of embodied ‘activism’ (e.g. rallying and blockading), to storytelling and humour on social media, strategic jurisprudence, dance, art and cultural practices, mutual aid, community gardening, to multiple other manifestations of ‘everyday’ activism.
WHO:
Young people who identified as having been involved in climate justice action/ activism(s) in recent years, as a school student (past or present) (12-24 years old)
HOW:
- One or two 40-60 min conversations over a 3-6 month period, with the option to share 1-8 photos/ files
- Online Group Creative Workshops – sharing then-emerging project findings, with the invitation to create a zine-in-response.
Events
The Striking Voices project team hosted a series of free interactive workshops that shared and created stories about climate justice, activism, young people and education, and shared some of the methods used during the project.