Youth–Adult partnerships in climate organizing spaces: Disrupting adultism and tokenism

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 1:45 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Youth Leadership and Action

Abstract

This qualitative study investigates high school students’ perspectives on meaningful youth–adult partnerships in climate organizing contexts. Through focus group engagement and thematic analysis, the research refines and extends an existing 7P framework for youth participation. The study offers empirically grounded insight into how young people conceptualize authentic engagement, emphasizing agency, power-sharing, and mutual accountability. Results include a revised participation framework and reflective tools to support educators, organizers, and institutional leaders seeking to foster equitable intergenerational partnerships in sustainability efforts. This work contributes to the theoretical development of youth participation scholarship while offering practical applications for improving the quality and justice orientation of educational and civic partnerships in climate change contexts.

Authors

• Ellen Field, Lakehead University

• Lilian Barraclough, University of Guelph