Abstract
This article is situated within the intersection of education for social transformation (EST) and ecojustice education (EJE). We have described the benefits of youth participation in an after-school science program offered to socio-economically vulnerable populations in São Paulo (Brazil). More specifically, we explored participants’ changing views of sustainability as they engaged in a 24-week project of their choice: The cultivation of a vertical herb garden. The analysis of our discussions and extensive field notes revealed that during the time participants cared for the garden, they developed: (a) A more accurate (refined) conceptualization of sustainability, (b) an appreciation for alternative and viable ways of producing food in urban settings, and (c) a stronger relationship with one another. In the end, involvement in the vertical garden project proved to be a powerful example of how science education can transform the livelihood of youth by expanding their views on human interconnectedness with all forms of life.
Highlights
The United Nations has explicitly stated the need to “improve the capacity of our education systems to prepare people to pursue sustainable development,” especially the younger generations that are recognized as “the custodians of the future” [1])
It examined the benefits of youth participation in an informal after-school science education program at the Youth Centre
The contained that explanation to why this Youth project Centre lies at the of ESTtheir and ecojustice education (EJE), after we describe hung on aaswall of the notintersection only expanded views on which sustainability, butthe vertical garden project itself, the research methods used, and the main findings
Summary
The United Nations has explicitly stated the need to “improve the capacity of our education systems to prepare people to pursue sustainable development,” especially the younger generations that are recognized as “the custodians of the future” [1]) Inherent in this affirmation is the belief that solutions to a number of socio-environmental maladies of our contemporary society—e.g., rampant consumerism, climate change, poverty, food insecurity, pollution, and animal abuse, to name a few—can be achieved through education. The contained that explanation to why this Youth project Centre lies at the of ESTtheir and EJE, after we describe hung on aaswall of the notintersection only expanded views on which sustainability, butthe vertical garden project itself, the research methods used, and the main findings. Stand project has its origins in a number of earlier initiatives designed to engage
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