Movement from the margins to global recognition: climate change activism by young people and in particular indigenous youth

ABSTRACT

This paper reflects on the recent global youth climate change movement in relation to theoretical considerations of Indigeneity, post-Anthropocentricism and decolonial practices. It then highlights the perspectives of several young climate activists, before considering a range of factors (‘elephants in the room’) that lurk behind the incapacity of our current practices to create spaces that provide opportunities for full expression of young people, particularly Indigenous young people, to articulate their political analyses and collectively advocate for ways of being in the world that will honour their values and aspirations.

KEYWORDS:

• Youth climate activism
• indigenous youth
• racism
• colonisation

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. Many scholars prefer to use, rather than ‘non-human’, the term ‘more-than-human’ for its rejection of anthropocentrism, as used for example, by Abram (1996) and Plumwood (2002).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jenny Ritchie

Dr Jenny Ritchie is an Associate Professor in Te Puna Akopai, the School of Education, at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. Her research and teaching focus on social, cultural, and ecological justice in early childhood care and education. A recently completed Spencer funded project resulted in the book Young children's community building in action: Embodied, emplaced and relational citizenship.  She has also codirected the New Zealand iteration of an international UNESCO project exploring ways in which local Indigenous perspectives can inform pedagogies for sustainability.