#678: Youth Learning Through Climate Activism: The Mediating Roles of Interaction in a School-Based Climate Course

Despite the increasing call for action-oriented climate education, few studies explore youths’ experiences of participating in climate activism guided by formal school curricula. This paper examines how 6 high school students learned to engage in climate activism in an Interdisciplinary Climate Exploration course. Employing narrative analysis, we examine youths’ stories engaging in civic action projects. Focusing on their interactions with people within and outside the school, this study analyzes how interactions affect youths’ engagement and action-taking to address climate-related issues within their community. The analysis reveals three mediating roles of their interactions with people: 1) providing information that deepened youths’ understanding about the focal problem, 2) giving access to the resources, practices, and information that otherwise are difficult for youth to leverage, and 3) affirming, validating youths’ emotions, and being present with youth. Implications for designing and studying youths’ learning to engage in civic action are discussed.