Exploring the impacts of environmental education programs on the development of personal leadership, empowerment, environmental concern and resilience amongst youth.

Pauna Truong

Humankind is currently experiencing a climate crisis. As we continuously discover creative solutions to mitigate the impacts of climate change, an emphasis is also needed to develop future generations, not only in their climate knowledge, but their preparedness to act. Literature suggests that many young people, between the ages of 11 and 18, may experience a time out or dip in their environmental concerns, making adolescence a vulnerable period in which guidance and support in environmental action are crucial. The reason/s for this dip is not yet fully understood, but development in certain personal capabilities, such as leadership, empowerment, environmental concern, and resilience, have been identified that may prevent young people from entering the time out or help them bounce back faster. As these capabilities are not conventionally taught in formal education, non-formal environmental education programs may potentially be the platform to develop and nurture these skills. Non-formal environmental education programs can provide a more holistic learning experience in comparison to formal education as it aims to develop physical as well as emotional and social skills through various experiences and activities. As a part of this study, two established non-formal environmental education programs were examined, namely the Climate Change School Tours (CCST) and Kids Teaching Kids (KTK), both of which are organised through the City of Mandurah in Western Australia. This study aimed to determine whether there is a significant difference between before and after self-reported development in personal leadership, empowerment, environmental concern, and resilience, and what factors may have contributed to those results. A mixed-method approach of surveys that comprised of capability measurement scales and short answers, interviews, as well as photovoice was used to understand the respondents’ 6 overall program outcome/s and experience/s. Data were collected in 2019, which resulted in sixty-two paired survey responses, and seven respondents completing all interviews. The survey results indicated that there were no statistically significant changes before and after program participation. However, qualitative results from the short answers and interviews indicated that were some reported changes amongst KTK respondents after program participation. These results may have been due to several interrelated factors including the nature, or design of the program, such as length and aim, participants’ characteristics and level of development, and other surrounding conditions, such as how they experienced group conflicts and/or were able to receive support. How these factors interacted then impacted the overall development of personal leadership, empowerment, environmental concern, and resilience amongst respondents. In addition to these factors and experiences, there were also limitations in the study design, including the sensitivity and applicability of the scale items that may have affected the study results. As an exploratory study, this study highlighted the potential of non-formal environmental education as a platform to nurture young people in developing their personal capabilities to grow into environmentally conscious citizens and future decision-makers. This study also illustrated the importance of program aim and design, as well as having a level of understanding regarding participants’ characteristics, and using this knowledge to implement meaningful experiences and activities to aid in the personal development of young people. Based on the results from this study, further research is still needed to enhance the understanding of youth development in the sphere of personal capabilities to increase the likelihood of future environmental behaviours and ethical decision-making.

Exploring the impacts of environmental education programs on the development of personal leadership, empowerment, environmental concern and resilience amongst youth.

Files and links (1)

Abstract

Details

Metrics