Inspiring the next generation of environmental advocates

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (Ivanhoe Newswire) - Intense droughts, severe fires, extreme flooding, and catastrophic storms — the changing environment isn't just a concern for adults; it also weighs heavily on children's minds.

A recent study found that more than half of children are worried about how climate change will impact their future. This statistic highlights the crucial need to educate our children about environmental issues and empower them to take action. But what does it take to inspire a child to become a lifelong environmental advocate?

“When I was like younger, I would never go in that river,” high school senior Angela Salado told Ivanhoe.

She knew the river that ran through her hometown was dirty.

Amanda Peavey, Education Director of the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council said, “We are about the 14th most toxic river in the U.S. at the moment.”

It’s the mission of the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council to bring community members and young people together to clean up the contaminated 19-mile stretch running through Providence, Rhode Island.

“We want them to be involved in the work, we want them to appreciate the natural resources that they have around them,” Peavey stated.

By cleaning up their community, planting trees, creating greenspaces, and educating residents they’re teaching young people the importance of environmental stewardship and agency.

Bryce DuBois, PhD, Environmental Psychologist at the University of New Haven explained, “So, agency means for a young person, can they make a decision about what happens in their backyard or in their neighborhood.”

He says communication and action are key.

“The idea is being involved with young people, talking with them,” DuBois said.

For teens, it’s important to talk openly, discuss books and watch films about successful people-led campaigns. Make a plan to reduce their household carbon footprint. Get involved in local efforts and support their activism.

“Whether they're caring about their neighbors, their family, and also the nearby environment,” stated DuBois.

He says actively combating climate change can help young people feel more in control, more hopeful and be more resilient.

“It doesn’t have to be normal for our community to be dirty and our waters to be dirty. It’s just, kind of makes them realize that they can also help,” explained Salado.

When a child develops agency, studies show that it improves a young person’s decision making, shifting it from problem-based thinking to solutions-based thinking.

Contributors to this news report include: Marsha Lewis, Executive Producer; Matt Goldschmidt, Videographer; and Bob Walko, Editor.

Produced by Child Trends News Service in partnership with Ivanhoe Broadcast News and funded by a grant from the Institute of Education Sciences (IES).

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