Abstract
Climate change is not only an environmental problem, it is an existential one that has young people questioning what may or may not be possible for their individual and collective futures. Youth are worried about climate change and reporting experiences of sadness, helplessness, guilt, distress, anxiety, and feelings of betrayal by governments and adults in positions of power. Youth are recognized as a high-risk population to the effects of climate change because they are inheriting the worst of its effects yet are often excluded from decision-making about policy and practice. Youth climate activists are leading the charge by advocating for socially, politically, environmentally, and economically sustainable futures they want to see and experience. Social work as a profession understands people within the contexts of their social, political, geographic, and economic environments, and is ultimately concerned with social justice. Social workers regularly interact with youth experiencing the effects of climate change on their mental health and wellbeing and the profession aims to influence structural and systemic change for marginalized communities. Social work, therefore, has a responsibility to assert young people as experts in their experience of the climate crisis and amplify their climate priorities in social work policy and practice.
Presenters
Laura GloverStudent, Doctor of Philosophy, Social Work, York University, Ontario, Canada
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Technical, Political, and Social Responses
KEYWORDS
Youth, Mental Health, Wellbeing, Social Work Policy and Practice
