Polluted lakes, climate change, extinct species, toxic land, water, food, and air – it’s enough to make you want to run for the hills. As characters on the CBC comedy This Hour Has 22 Minutes recently exclaimed, “We get it David Suzuki – nature is in danger!” So do these dire warnings about our endangered environment result in increasing numbers of people ‘turning green’ and joining the environmental movement? Is environmental activism on the rise?
Not according to D-Code’s Citizen Re:Generation study that explored active citizenship and the Information Age Generations (15-34 year olds). Young people are often under-engaged in environmental organizations despite their total contribution of $1.1 billion to charities in 2000. Environmental organizations received a mere 2% (totaling $17 million) of all charitable dollars donated by this age group in 2000. In fact, environmental organizations are the third lowest recipient of charitable dollars by young people. In contrast, religious organizations received $541 million in donations (51% of all charitable donations by this group), and health organizations received $190 millions (18% of all charitable dollars by this group). These ratios are similar for the older ‘Boomer’ generation. What’s more, few young people are supporting environmental organizations through volunteer activities. Environmental organizations received only 3% of all volunteer hours by this age group compared to social service organizations, and culture, arts and recreation organizations, which received 22% and 18% of total volunteer hours from this group respectively.
Despite low participation in environmental organizations, D-Code’s research shows that young people rank environment as the third highest priority for the Canadian government after health and education. What explains this discrepancy between what young people care about and their degree of involvement in organizations engaged in this issue? Why the gap between what they feel and what they do when it comes to the environment?
The challenge: alienation and inefficacy
One possible explanation for the lack of involvement of young Canadians in environmental organizations, says Jeremy Murphy of the Youth Environmental Network (YEN), could be the often confusing, mixed messages we hear in the media about environmental issues. The polar ice caps will disappear by the end of the century according to some scientists, while others dispute the evidence of climate change altogether. Are oil companies plundering the earth, or as some commercials would have us believe, are they the ones looking for sustainable energy sources? How ‘green’ are green products? Is the Kyoto Protocol the right approach? Environmental issues are complex – who are the culprits and what are the solutions? If it appears that scientists and environmentalists can’t get the facts straight and messages consistent, then how can the average environmental neophyte know who and what to believe? The problem may not be lack of information, but too much and from too many contradictory sources.
Another deterrent to involvement in environmental organizations could be that the timeframes of environmental initiatives are hard to grasp for many people. Time intensive projects with goals far in the future may contribute to a sense of futility in any seemingly small steps or immediate actions in the present. Young people may not understand that our current patterns of waste, pollution, and overconsumption affect our own immediate well-being. Instead they may think of our environmental legacy in terms of our grandchildren’s children (or is it our grandchildren’s grandchildren?). Large scale and long term environmental initiatives are critical in the overall efforts for environmental sustainability and to confront the cause and effects of climate change (eg. The Kyoto Protocol), but at the same time they may be taking the role of the individual out of the equation and creating an environmental timetable that overlooks the present. Short-term goals need to be identified, achieved, and celebrated. People may be thinking of environmental consequences the same way they do about credit – consume now, pay later.
Another challenge facing environmental organizations may be a feeling of helplessness among young people (“what can one person do?”). Contributing to this sense of inefficacy and powerlessness may be the predominant doom and gloom messages about the environment. It is difficult to capture the imagination of donors, volunteers, or activists if they feel their efforts won’t have an impact and the challenges feel insurmountable. But what young people may not realize, says Murphy, is that small victories are occurring regularly in the fight for environmental sustainability. These success stories are less likely to grab the headlines so environmental organizations need to work harder to get the message out in compelling and empowering ways.
Many may claim that young people’s lack of participation in environmental organizations further illustrates a general apathy among youth. Young people are often accused of caring more about their high tech gadgets than they do about social and environmental challenges. However, D-Code’s research shows that young people are not apathetic but instead are often under-engaged by civil society organizations and feel a lack of efficacy in the face of societal challenges. So how can organizations empower young people to get involved in environmental activism?
The opportunities: make it personal and practical and show the payoff
Enabling a personal connection to an issue is critical to engaging young people, according to Citizen Re:Generation. For environmental organizations, this means drawing connections between our understanding of issues and our own behaviour. Karen Kun, co-founder of Waterlution, an experiential learning program that hopes to make water issues more accessible to Canadians, believes “it is important to speak to people according to their level of understanding of environmental issues and to draw a connection between the issue and one’s personal experiences.” Waterlution tries to tap into each individual’s ‘personal relationship with water’ and spur an intimate connection to the issue.
This personal connection to an issue can be made through education and public consultations, as in the case of Waterlution. It can also be enabled through successful, well-researched and targeted social marketing campaigns that get the message of environmental activism to young people in a language and tone they understand. For example, D-Code worked with the British Columbia Endangered Species Coalition to help them connect young people to the issues of species extinction. The Coalition recognized that if it wanted to connect to its media savvy young target (18-34) it would need to understand the messages to which young people respond. It embarked on a market research and development process in the same way as would a soft drink, clothing, or automobile manufacturer. The research found the most impactful messages were those of the inter-connectedness of species extinction – how species extinction can ultimately affect human health and thus their personal well-being and the ways people can get involved. The Coalition successfully launched an interactive online awareness and advocacy campaign targeting young adults, with concise messages and steps for young people to get involved through online action tools, including e-petitions, faxes, and ‘how tos’.
Empowering young people to express their concern for the environment through their consumption habits (buying organic food or recycled materials), and through daily practices (recycling, taking public transit, reducing waste, etc.) is an important part of the picture. Earth Day Canada is an organization that involves young people in environmental activities that they can do in their everyday lives and that have measurable outcomes. The Eco-Mentors program trains high school students to become workshop facilitators and to mentor elementary school students about what they can do for environmental sustainability. According to Niki Popper, a program coordinator at Earth Day Canada, this proactive approach addresses values and behaviour in a positive way and builds a sense of efficacy among high school and elementary school students. Another community-based initiative developed by Earth Day Canada engages people in self-organized Eco-Action Teams. The goal of Eco-Action Teams is to provide the resources and support needed for Canadian households to achieve a healthier lifestyle. The simple actions outlined in the program will help participating Canadians save on their household expenses year after year as well as reduce their environmental impact. These actions have a starting and an ending point so successes can be measured.
The Citizen Re:Generation study shows that young people have a desire, an expectation even, to participate in civil society. D-Code’s research also shows that young people consider the environment an important priority but this concern may not be translating into action. Participation in environmental sustainability is not just for environmental activists, tree-huggers, and granolas – the responsibility for the environment is shared between individuals, corporations, governments, and industry. Positioning the environment (and its advocates) as something that is ‘sexy’ and getting positive, empowering messages through to young people with practical ways to become involved could open up opportunities in the movement for environmental sustainability. Showing how everyone has the capacity to be an environmentalist in some way, no matter how small the actions may appear, is a message young people (and all citizens!) need to hear.
For more information about the key success factors for engaging young people in civil society organizations, please refer to the case study organizations profiled in the Citizen Re:Generation report, available at www.d-code.com/citizenregen.html.
This article first appeared in the April 2004 edition of D-Brief, D-Code’s monthly newsletter. If you have any questions or comments, please contact Shelley Smith at shelley@d-code.com.
