PUSKAPA

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The involvement of young people in climate and environmental issues has shown a number of positive results. They are involved in various forms of activities, such as campaigns, capacity building, research, advocacy and community assistance. They are also involved through several channels, either through movements or organizations that they form themselves or that are formed by adults.

Their engagement is influenced by a range of individual, social and structural factors that present both opportunities and challenges.

This study explores the experiences and identifies the needs of young people for optimal engagement.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

PUSKAPA formulated the following research questions:

1

What is the landscape of youth engagement on climate and environmental issues in Indonesia?

2

What are the drivers of youth engagement in climate and environmental issues in Indonesia?

3

What can we learn from youth engagement models in Indonesia that have resulted in pro-climate or pro-environmental changes in policies, norms or practices?

PUSKAPA seeks answers to these questions by:

ANALYZING A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW

57

PUBLICATIONS

relevant from search

771

ARTICLE
JOURNALS

27

TECHNICAL
REPORTS

(released from 2011 to 2021)

PRIMARY DATA COLLECTION

2

SESSION
CONSULTATIONS

By

16

EXPERT
YOUTHS

6

DISCUSSION SESSION
FOCUS GROUP (FGD)

By

28

YOUTHS

who are actively involved in the climate and environment movement

14

DEEP DIVE
INTERVIEW SESSIONS

With young people actively involved in the climate and environmental movement

Characteristics of respondents involved in Climate and Environment issues

ACCORDING TO PARTICIPANTS' OPINIONS

Coming from various disciplines and professions.

Students and university students dominate the youth environmental movement.

ACCORDING TO PARTICIPANTS' OPINIONS

Urban middle class and living in Java Island.

Access and infrastructure are still an issue.

READ RESEARCHER ANALYSIS

ACCORDING TO RESEARCHER'S ANALYSIS

Socioeconomic status plays a role in how far they are involved in the movement.

ACCORDING TO PARTICIPANTS' OPINIONS

Have social capital:

social networks, access to digital information, foreign language skills, etc.

READ RESEARCHER ANALYSIS

ACCORDING TO RESEARCHER'S ANALYSIS

Opportunity, ability and expertise play a greater role in their involvement than educational background.

ACCORDING TO PARTICIPANTS' OPINIONS

It is an expressive form of group identity.

“Many fandom base groups end up pushing positive social change for the environment. For example, ARMY (BTS fan group) has made several discussions about the environment, because BTS also cares about that issue.“ Female, 29 years old.

READ RESEARCHER ANALYSIS

ACCORDING TO RESEARCHER'S ANALYSIS

Social identity contributes to youth engagement.

ACCORDING TO PARTICIPANTS' OPINIONS

Indigenous and local youth who are active generally have experience of being directly affected by the climate & environmental crisis.

“...The last one is usually the people who are directly affected. Starting from indigenous peoples or people who do say live in villages that are underserved...“ Male, 27 years old

Climate change and environmental topics of concern to respondents

Climate & environmental change symptoms

Sea water rise
Global warming (increasing global temperature)

Destructive actions that lead to climate and environmental crises

Poor waste management and industrial waste

Factors driving climate and environmental destruction

Policies to accelerate development and industrialization
Oligarchy
Corruption in the mining sector

Impact of the crisis on environmental conditions and mitigation

Reduced forest area
Hydrological disaster
Land sinking
Environmental pollution

Crisis impact on citizens and mitigation

Land grabbing & conflict
Forced migration
Food crisis
Loss of cultural identity

Forms of activities (civil actions) undertaken by respondents

Campaign (click to see)

Advocacy (click to see)

Capacity building (click to see)

Assistance (click to see)

Research (click to see)

Engagement Pathway

4 factors that influence their engagement

INDIVIDUAL FACTOR

Supporting factors

Concerns about the impact of the climate crisis and future conditions
Experience of being affected by the climate crisis
Interest in environmental issues
Previous experience of activism
Educational background
Critical and strategic thinking skills
Social identity and religious teachings

“So that fear is actually what drives me to work on this issue because this is very urgent, it's already a red flag, it's already an emergency, that's why I'm really keen here, because of that, the fear of the future.“ Female- 21 years old

Barriers

Social pressure to choose a more established career
Mental exhaustion from helping community groups who are victims of land conflicts

“... and this is a high social pressure in the urban context, they see that their friends can already earn, especially if they see social media where it's just fun, so they are provoked to enter the world of work that provides more financial benefits than NGOs...“ Male, 35 years old.

SOCIAL INTERACTION

Supporting factors

Influence from public figures and influencers
Friendship network
Kinship ties (ethnicity, religion, community)
Support from CSOs
Support from adults (teachers and mentors)

“... influencers are really important because influencers can move trends,“ Male, 16 years old

Barriers

Fragmentation of the youth movement
Difficulty in organizing and sustaining the movement
Tokenism by government and policymakers
Low levels of public climate literacy and awareness

“... most of them (members) in X organization are still students and are voluntary. So, we can't really force them to participate in all activities and so on...“ Male, 22 years old

ORGANIZATION/COMMUNITY

Supporting factors

An organization that supports diversity, inclusiveness, and self-development
Strategies in planning, training, and regular evaluation
Availability of funding

“...So we really promote a positive work environment, how do we make sure that everyone is heard, everyone feels that they can contribute...“ Male, 16 years old

Barriers

Difficulty in obtaining funding
Inadequate capacity in managing the organization

“...usually, the organization does not have good governance. So usually they even still often confused with how to do administrative work...“ Female, 28 years old

EXTERNAL FACTORS

Supporting factors

Media technology and access to information
International youth campaigns and activism
National environmental events and issues
International forums involving young people

“We actually know more information, the ones who control the times are young people, the ones who control information are young people.“ Female, 28 years old

Barriers

Physical safety and digital security risks
Government policies conflicting with issues advocated
Industry-oriented education system
Lack of youth representation in politics
Information gap due to infrastructure

“... the challenges in youth activism is in security, both data security and privacy as well, now it seems vulnerable, both in digital and in-person...“ Female, 25 years old

Support that youth partners can provide

Activism implementation assistance

Facilitate young people in carrying out various forms of activism proportionally.

Research, advocacy, campaigning, capacity building, and mentoring are all equally important components for a successful youth movement.

Capacity building

Facilitate strengthening the capacity of young people

in managing organizations, expanding networks, and securing funding sources.

Connecting young people

Facilitate collaboration among young people.

Young people do not need to be experts in everything but need to be brought together so that they can recognize each other's strengths and then share and complement each other.

Creating safe spaces for expression

Promote safe spaces for youth civic participation.

Advocating against policies that undermine civil rights and freedom of expression also helps maintain safe spaces for youth participation.

FIND A CSO/NGO FOR YOU!