The Youth Leading Environmental Change Project: A Mixed-Method Longitudinal Study across Six Countries

Abstract

Significant cultural transformations of the kinds that are needed to move our global society toward sustainability require youth to engage in environmental actions. These actions are more than just updating one’s personal practice (e.g., recycling). They are ‘‘intentional and conscious civic behaviors that are focused on systemic causes of environmental problems and the promotion of environmental sustainability through collective efforts’’ (Alisat & Riemer, 2015, p. 14). The current study investigated the effectiveness of the Youth Leading Environmental Change (YLEC) program, which fostered such environmental actions in six participating countries. YLEC is an 11-unit evidence-based youth engagement workshop series, with a focus on environmental justice and on building action competence. The study employed a mixed-method longitudinal comparison group designwith three follow-ups at 3, 6, and 12 months. Overall, 365 university students from Bangladesh, Canada, Germany, India, Uganda, and the United States participated in either the workshop or comparison group. Sixty-three of the workshop participants participated in semistructured qualitative interviews at the 3-month follow-up. The results suggest that most participants experienced a significant personal transformation both in regard to how they relate to environmental issues and how they perceive themselves as agents of change. Although there was an increase in environmental action in the month immediately following the workshop series, engagement seemed to revert close to baseline levels at the 12-month follow-up for many participants. Implications of the findings for theory and practice are discussed