Approaching Planetary Youth Research

Session format: Regular session (maximum five 20-minute presentations)

The ongoing climate emergency, post-pandemic world and world political turmoil demands solutions to the dilemmas of sustainable development and the well-being of young people, all living beings and the planet. There is no future for the next generations without sustainable living on Earth—our only planet. Therefore, we invite presentations that builds from local to global with a frame we call planetary youth research. In this historical era of three global crises—the climate emergency and the COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical turbulence (e.g. the Russian war in Ukraine or Talibans in Afghanistan)—which, simultaneously, affect young people’s lives, we need to find new local and global ways to conduct academic and applied youth research.

This working group also asks how to sustain young people’s belief in the future on the era of planetary crises. It invites youth researchers to envision and work together in building a definition for Planetary Youth Research. The aim is to develop youth research of the 'age on planetary crises' in which the challenge of jointly managing the planet and limited resources transforms and strengthens young people’s agency as well as the relationships between young people and nature. The focus is on both democratic and environmental challenges. This initiative wishes to promote discussion and collaboration with researchers from the Global South and North. We also welcome presentations that tackle climate youth work or sustainable youth work, climate activism and progressive social movements where young people are active initiators.