Exploring How Kenyan Youth Climate Change Activists Promote Intergenerational and Cross-Species Harmony Through Ubuntu and Climate Justice Perspectives

• In Event: Virtual Roundtable Session 1
  In Refereed Roundtable Session: Reimagining Citizenship and Identity: Youth, Education, and Justice in a Globally Interconnected World

Proposal

Using a multiple case study approach, I examined how eight Kenyan youth climate change activists promote intergenerational and cross-species harmony within their communities. The research was conducted from February 2024 to June 2025 and involved three phases of data collection. These included four focus groups in the first phase, eight individual semi-structured interviews in the second phase, and four peer interviews in the third phase. A collaborative and iterative inductive thematic analysis of the data revealed various themes and initial findings. First, the climate change crisis has uneven impacts on Kenyan communities. Second, youth climate activists actively participate in peaceful community and project-based initiatives to foster intergenerational and cross-species harmony. These strategies include promoting sustainable agriculture and community development, wetland restoration, establishing botanical gardens in schools, and managing solid waste and microplastics along the shores of Lake Victoria. Third, the activists emphasized the importance of collaboration, empowerment, and building meaningful relationships throughout the research process. As a result, the study addresses the following research questions, which were developed collaboratively by the researcher and the eight climate change activists: RQ1: How do Kenyan youth activists and their communities experience climate change? RQ1.1: What motivates Kenyan youth to engage in climate change activism? RQ2: What actions are youth climate change activists taking to improve climate adaptation and resilience? RQ2.1: What challenges do Kenyan youth activists face in their climate efforts? RQ3: How did participation in this study influence the personal and professional growth of the activists? Ubuntu is an ideal framework for this dissertation, rooted in African cultural values, morality, and adaptable to modern ethical crises like climate injustice and inequality. Despite contradictions and challenges, its focus on interdependence, dignity, shared citizenship, and communal responsibility offers a compelling alternative to individualism and extractivism typical of global sustainable development, which can harm African contexts (Terblanché-Greeff, 2019). African perspectives often remain peripheral in global climate and sustainability efforts, despite Africans' resilience to extreme socio-economic and ecological challenges (Terblanché-Greeff, 2019; IPCC, 2012). Used with climate justice and multiple case study methodology, Ubuntu critiques oppression and fosters pathways toward sustainable, just, and relational futures. In Kenya's youth climate activism, Ubuntu underpins a justice-oriented, community-based movement that redefines sustainability through solidarity and shared humanity. This study is relevant to existing literature on climate change activism in several ways. First, it highlights that project-based activism can provide opportunities for quality and experiential learning, as seen in how activists established botanical gardens as learning centers in K-12 schools and engaged learners in tree-care strategies like Panda Rafiki (Swahili for 'plant a friend'). Second, the study calls for reimagining and rethinking activism by shifting focus from street protests and other Global North activism strategies to implementing tangible projects within communities. Lastly, the study centers the voices of youth activists from the Global South, who are underrepresented in research. Despite limited resources and minimal media coverage, they are making a meaningful difference in their communities.

Author

• Emmanuel S Wanjala, University of Maryland College Park