Abstract
Youths are the next generation to foster community resilience in social–ecological systems. Yet, we have limited evidence on how to engage them effectively in learning about environmental change. One opportunity includes the involvement of youths in research that connects them with older generations who can share their values, experiences, and knowledge related to change. In this community-based study, we designed, assessed, and shared insights from two intergenerational engagement and learning interventions that involved youths in different phases of research in the Saskatchewan River Delta, Canada. For Intervention 1, we involved students as researchers who conducted video and audio recorded interviews with adults, including Elders, during a local festival. For Intervention 2, we involved students as research participants who reflected on audio and video clips that represented data collected in Intervention 1. We found that Intervention 1 was more effective because it connected youths directly with older generations in methods that accommodated creativity for youths and leveraged technology. Engaging the youths as researchers appears to be more effective than involving them as research participants.
Highlights
Youths are the generation of policy-makers, civil society leaders, and environmental stewards to assess and respond to environmental change in social–ecological systems
Into the future, youths will shape the potential for community resilience, which is conceptualized by Berkes and Ross [1] as an integration of efforts across societal levels that build capacity for communities to thrive in the context of environmental change
Create Intergenerational Engagement That Is Meaningful for Youths
Summary
Youths are the generation of policy-makers, civil society leaders, and environmental stewards to assess and respond to environmental change in social–ecological systems. Into the future, youths will shape the potential for community resilience, which is conceptualized by Berkes and Ross [1] as an integration of efforts across societal levels that build capacity for communities to thrive in the context of environmental change. Engaging youths in learning about past experiences with living, adapting, and persisting through change is a key imperative for building community resilience, intergenerational equity, and sustainability for future generations [2,3,4]. One potential entry point is to involve youths in research that directly engages them in social contexts that support youths learning about environmental change and the leadership and stewardship behaviors needed to respond to change. This insight reflects the need to work with and for communities to better design and assess methodologies that prioritize youths
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