This month's Why Social Science? post comes from The Conversation, where Clare Cunningham, Catherine Heinemeyer, and Jude Parks write about how universities can help empower students feeling helpless about the climate crisis.
By Clare Cunningham Ph.D., Catherine Heinemeyer, Ph.D., and Jude Parks, Ph.D. (York St John University)
Universities have the resources to help combat the climate crisis. What’s more, they have a responsibility to their students – who want to take action, but may lack the support they need to do so.
One way universities can do this is to help students use their skills to contribute to university- and community-wide projects. This can create real change, as well as teaching students how to take collaborative action.
In 2019, we started a research project with colleagues at York St John University to find out what students felt about the climate crisis. To begin, we held focus groups with 23 students who had responded to a call for participation posted on social media and around the campus.