Global Citizens for global un Many young people are worried about the future their future and the future of the planet. Environmental degradation and increasing global and local inequality are at the heart of the malaise.
A NEW global survey led by Bath University sheds a depressing light on young people’s perceptions of the planet’s future. The survey, which is the largest of its kind, was conducted across ten countries, receiving as many as 10,000 responses from young people between the ages of 16 and 25. Just under 60 per cent of respondents said that they felt either very or extremely worried about the impacts of climate change, and as many as 45 per cent of respondents claimed that their ‘eco-anxiety’ was having an impact on their everyday lives. Confusion and desperation For many young people, there are feelings of hopelessness and abandonment, so it is perhaps unsurprising that the study has drawn a direct link between climate anxiety and government inaction. Caroline Hickman, the lead author of the survey report and specialist in Eco Crisis Psychology said:"This shows eco-anxiety is not just for environmental destruction alone, but inextricably linked to government inaction on climate change. The 30 Education
young feel abandoned and betrayed by governments.” For young people in particular, there seems to be a widespread sense of confusion and desperation; confusion at a lack of government leadership and action on a global scale, and a desperation to spark positive change but a lack of knowledge on how to do so. It’s not only climate change that has young people on edge, it is also global justice issues across the board. A root cause of this perpetual worry (other than the climate and social justice issues themselves, of course) may stem from a lack of understanding of the processes which govern global decision-making, how global justice issues such as racism, sectarianism, discrimination, and oppression come to be, or how one could go about solving them. Empowering A greater level of education on some of these topics could potentially alleviate the anxiety of young people by allowing them to develop a higher level of appreciation and understanding, and empowering
"A greater level of education on some of these topics could potentially alleviate the anxiety of young people by allowing them to develop a greater level of understanding, empowering them to take action as global citizens"
them to take action as global citizens. This is exactly what the ‘Global Citizenship Education’ curriculum sets out to do. In 2013, Irish Aid established ‘WorldWise Global Schools’ (WWGS) as a dissemination tool for the Global Citizenship Education curriculum throughout Irish post-primary schools. The project sets out to arm schools with the necessary tools and support to inform and teach students about social issues through a global justice lens. Encourage critical thinking The curriculum aims to challenge stereotypes and encourage critical thinking amongst its participants to provide a better understanding of the unequal world we live in. It helps p e o p l e t o a p p re c i a t e t h e l i n k between global justice issues and problems nationally, and even in our everyday lives. By looking at a range of topics from a global justice perspective, young people are able to gain a greater understanding of their rights and responsibilities as a global citizen and provide them with the necessary
