Intergenerational Conversations on Climate Crises

VOICES for Sustainable Communities and Environments have started a new project to explore the attitudes and concerns of young people and senior citizens in New Brunswick today. Approximately 20 conversations will be recorded around the area of the Lower Wolastaq during 2022. The conversations will be reduced to podcasts and published globally by social media. 

How-To: A Podcast Primer – Intergenerational Conversations on Climate

A while back, in the summer of 2022, we embarked upon a project aimed at bringing together the youth of province and senior citizens from the same geographical neighbourhoods to discuss the similarities and differences between the two age groups as it relates to how we view climate crises. Our Intergenerational Conversations on Climate series encapsulated in its 12 episodes ways that we can combat the effects of climate change in our area and beyond, as each topic discussed was relevant to any community. Our podcast was listened to by hundreds of people not just from around the corner, but around the globe spanning countries in Asia and Europe. We invite you to use the link at the top of the page to listen to each episode for yourself and be entertained and informed. With the project at a close, we think it’s important to bring to you an informative primer to empower you to perhaps contribute by producing a podcast of your own.

1. How-To: A Podcast Primer 12:56
2. Episode 12 – The Grand Finale Roundtable with Reagan, Conner, Luciel, and Bella 01:07:17
3. Episode 11 – Bob and Reagan 35:20
4. Episode 10 – Clair and Brayden 30:16
5. Episode 9 – Bella and Paul 42:17

News media and academic reports have appeared recently discussing the concerns especially by adolescents using descriptors such as anxiety, dread, grief, and hopelessness. The reports were summed by an article in The Lancet (“Climate anxiety in children and young people and their beliefs about government responses to climate change: a global survey of beliefs about government responses to climate change”, v. 5, issue 12, Dec 1, 2021). The report is especially stark when documenting the pervasiveness of feelings of dread and it effects on youth. How common are the feelings of hopelessness in students of our region? The conversations will try to assess the problem.

Questions given to both senior citizens and high school students are designed to be specific and relevant to the participants. Questions aim for feelings of concern, not for factual climate data. Sample questions are these:

Some questions investigate feelings of powerlessness: 

Some questions explore possible actions:

Have you ever written to your MLA or MP about climate action?

Why are students not out in the streets every day demanding action?

Should schools teach communicating with elected officials? 

How would you feel about Canada giving the vote to 16-yr olds?

What are things YOU can do today to fight climate change?

Would you be willing to take a deduction on your paycheck to avoid Climate Crises? 

If Elon Musk agreed to fund all your expenses for two years to become a green caped-crusader — what single project would you tackle?

Answers to each question are discussed by the participants with the aim of discovering differences between them. A summary report will be issued by VOICES personnel before the end of 2022.

Intergenerational Podcasts

Listen to the podcasts here:

https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2023135.rss