In it together! Intergenerational, creative responses to a climate of uncertainty

Hayes, Tracy ORCID logo ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6330-6520 , Parsons, Katie and Walker, Catherine (2021) In it together! Intergenerational, creative responses to a climate of uncertainty. In: RGSIBG 2021 International Conference, 31 August - 3 September, Online. (Unpublished) Full text not available from this repository.

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Abstract

Intergenerational justice has become central to climate justice in recent years. At one end of the generational spectrum are the actions of young activists, galvanised by the actions of Greta Thunberg and other Fridays for Future activists around the world. At the other end, a growing number of grandparent activists have been participating in environmental protests to raise awareness of their own understandings of the adverse ways that children and future generations are being affected by environmental ills. A large group of ‘grandparent rebels’ make up Extinction Rebellion’s ranks, with slogans such as ‘I rebel so I can look my grandchildren in the eye’ (Patel, 2019; Toynbee, 2019). As Nolas et al (2017, p. 6) observed, ‘looking at ‘the edges of age’ – childhood and older age – together and in relation to activism enables a reframing of political socialisation as a lifelong process with inter-generational connections’.

The Covid-19 Pandemic has brought both the intergenerational (as well as inter-species) interdependence and tensions alluded to above into even sharper relief, showing all the more that today’s young people are growing up in a climate of uncertainty. The pandemic has also shifted both activism and research into activism onto digital platforms. The use of digital spaces has enabled more people to share their activism and to develop global friendships, but it has also highlighted inequities – across generations, spaces and place. In this session we explore methods that both help us (adult researchers) to grasp and empathise with the challenges and difficulties young people face growing up in a climate of uncertainty, and that help us to think together to find hopeful, creative and intergenerational responses to the climate crisis.

Please join us to discuss the creative ways that families and generations are responding to the urgent problems associated with living in a climate of uncertainty and to explore creative ways of researching with them.

Item Type: Conference or Workshop Item (Workshop)
Departments: Institute of Health > Social Work, Children and Families
Additional Information: Session Convener and Chair of Session
Depositing User: Tracy Hayes
Date Deposited: 01 Oct 2021 13:31
Last Modified: 13 Jan 2024 12:31
URI: https://insight.cumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/6223
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