How we created a new climate justice resource for young people
Young Friends of the Earth Scotland has just launched it’s brand new intro to climate justice booklet – created by young people, for young people.
This easy to read A5 booklet is filled with beautiful illustrations, and introduces the core principles of climate justice, exploring the roots of the climate crisis, how it intersects with other injustices, and what we need to centre justice in our struggles for a better future.
I chatted with Hannah and Meli, two young people who were instrumental in the creation of this resource, about the process of creating it
Why did YFoES decide to create this booklet?
“When COP26 came to Scotland and there was suddenly loads of attention on the climate crisis, we found that there weren’t many accessible AND intersectional introductions to climate justice. We wanted to break down barriers to joining the climate justice movement and climate activism in general, especially around jargon and terminology used to discuss the climate crisis. So we wanted to create this guide to bring together different conversations around climate justice, and introduce the concept to more people.”
How did you find the process of creating it?
“We created a working group with other members of Young Friends of the Earth and we started by doing lots of research and deciding on the topics that we wanted to cover. It was a fun and collaborative process of pulling together lots of information and editing it to make it more accessible. After consulting with other Young Friends of the Earth members and climate justice organisations we redrafted the guide, before working with a graphic designer on the final result. The project allowed us to be creative and learn lots along the way through the research and consultation phases.”
What’s your favourite part of the booklet?
Meli: “My favourite part of the booklet is the ‘Looking Forward’ section as I feel it’s really important to highlight possible climate solutions and frameworks, rather than just critiquing existing ones.”
Hannah: “My favourite part of the booklet is where we take a deep dive into climate justice and break down all the different ways that intersecting identities can affect our experience of the climate crisis.”
Why is education on climate justice important to you?
“Education is the first step towards being able to take action, and for a lot of people it can be intimidating to join a movement without prior knowledge of key concepts. We wanted to challenge this by presenting the information in a simple and creative way.”
How do you hope the resource gets used?
“We hope that the resource reaches those who are interested in joining the climate movement but aren’t sure where to start. It would be great to see it in schools and libraries across Scotland, as well as shared in different organisations, events and communities.”
Where can I read it?
The booklet is available for digital download, and we really hope that people find it a valuable resource for learning, sharing, starting conversations and inspiring people to learn more.
You can also request physical copies for your group – whether that’s a climate group, a youth group, a class or something else. To request physical copies please email crandall@foe.scot.
Where can I learn more?
If you would like to learn more about the concepts in the booklet, check out our climate justice reading list which features a mix of books, articles, podcasts, videos and more.
We have also created a group activity you can download alongside the resource and use with your group to dig into these ideas collectively.
Young Friends of the Earth Scotland is a grassroots network of young people (aged 16-30), from across Scotland, working collectively for social and climate justice. Our network is made up of working groups, allied organisations and passionate individuals across the country. We welcome any young people in Scotland to get involved and attend our events.