Survey research together with the young people’s climate change and nature group (NUOLI)

A survey study with the young people’s climate change and nature group, NUOLI amd Planetary Youth Research research program.

The young people’s climate change and nature group, NUOLI, established in the spring of 2023 under the Prime Minister’s Office (Finnish abbreviation: VNK) and Nuorten Agenda 2030 Group, consisting of 14 young adults (18-25 years old). Their role involves supporting ministries in planning, implementing, and evaluating the impact of youth participation in sustainable decision making. Focused on bringing young, novel perspectives and practical solutions to decision-making, NUOLI aims to ensure the voices of future generations are considered in policy-shaping, promoting increased youth involvement in environmental decisions about their future. In 2024, NUOLI run the process of the Finnish National Youth and Child Environment Statement.

Many young people are working on combatting climate change and biodiversity. These young people are clearly emotionally involved in this work, and it shows on the 2021 Youth Barometer. Over three-quarters of the young people who answered the survey (76%) stated they feel sad about the loss of biodiversity and the extinction of species. Also, the percentage of youth who agree with the statement “Future generations will suffer if the current destruction of the environment continues” increased between 2016 and 2021.

To be able to understand how to support young people in environmental organizations, NUOLI did a survey together with the Finnish Youth Research Society. The survey was mainly planned by Sarella Arkkila, Alisa Horsmanheimo and Aaro Sariola, with the scientific and technical support by Konsta Happonen and Sofia Laine. The survey assessed the experiences of young people in environmental matters, within varying youth organizations. The responses to the survey are being used to help support all youth organizations in the development of their activities, particularly when it comes to environmental advocacy and environmental emotions, as well as to form policy recommendations on how young people could be incorporated better into environmental decisions. The message from the survey responses is clear: young people deeply care about their environment and are willing to spend a lot of their free time working on environmental matters.

The survey data was collected in Finland in May-June 2024, and the survey data was also supplemented by collecting additional data from young people participating in the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP16) in Cali, Colombia, in September 2024.

The collaboration with NUOLI and the Youth Research Society will continue to address the information needs of young people in the coming years.

Publications

First publication in English is by Sarella Arkkila titled “Young People and Their Modern Roots to Nature”, published in Uoma Journal no.1.

The survey study has been presented by young people from NUOLI group, e.g.:

Sarella Arkkila and Aaro Sariola: NYRIS, Nordic Youth Research Symposium (12-14 June 2024, Tampere, Finland)
Aaro Sariola: Symposium: Young people, democracy and climate action (24-26 September 2024, European Youth Centre Strasbourg)

Project team

Konsta Happonen, Essi Holopainen, Tomi Kiilakoski and Sofia Laine (see below)
Sarella Arkkila: I am a PhD student in the Wildlife Biology doctoral programme (LUOVA). I study the effect of agriculture and climate change on biodiversity. As I want my research to be impactful, I have looked for opportunities to have a say in decision making. I joined Young People’s Climate Change and Nature Group (NUOLI) in spring 2023 and after this have gotten involved in several youth organisations (Global Youth Biodiversity Network, Nordic Youth Biodiversity Network and European Youth in Action). NUOLI opened up the opportunity to collaborate with the Finnish Research Society and this provided me with the opportunity to have more dialogues with researchers on environmental topics. In my free time, I like reading, writing popularized science texts, sähly among other sports, and exploring the fields and forests near my home with my dog Goldie (and her sister Honey who is with us in thoughts †7.9.2024).

Alisa Horsmanheimo: I am studying a multidisciplinary degree on effective environmental art education, art education research and the promotion of social sustainability. I am majoring in Visual Arts Education at Aalto University. As a minor subject I have done courses in environmental science and environmental education at the University of Helsinki. I did an internship at the Finnish Youth Research Society as part of my major. Working in a youth climate and nature group (NUOLI) and with the Planetary Youth Research framework, alongside my educational work, have been very important communities and avenues for me to implement my social agency as a young environmental activist. Email: alisahorsmanheimo (at) gmail.com Photo: Luontoliitto / Aino Huotari.

Aaro Sariola: I am a Master’s student in Atmospheric Sciences in the University of Helsinki. I like to hike, cycle and ski in nature. Stopping global warming and preserving the biodiversity of nature are the most important goals of my life. Solving these should be included in every decision-making process in everyday life, including decisions regarding individuals, communities and the whole society. Decisions made today, will affect young people and future generations the most. This is why I joined the Young People’s Climate Change and Nature Group and cooperation with the Finnish Research Society. It is important to have discussions with young people, who are worried about their future. They know, what is the root cause for the problems. The picture has been taken in Svalbard, where I studied Arctic Geophysics. The studies included research of glaciers and arctic sea ice. For instance, how fast are they melting and studying their structure and dynamics. Email: firstname.lastname(at)helsinki.fi

Liisa Mäkinen: Liisa Mäkinen is a doctoral researcher at the Jyväskylä University School of Business and Economics. Her dissertation focuses on young people’s environmental agency, the societal pressures they face, and their future orientations in the context of the ecological crisis. She has extensive experience in education and international development, having worked with the United Nations Development Programme, the European Parliament, and universities of Eastern Finland and Helsinki. Children’s rights are especially important to her, and she is particularly inspired by NUOLI’s participatory approach where young people are not just research subjects, but active co-researchers. Email: liisa.e.makinen(at) jyu.fi

Start year:: 2024
End year:: 2030

Project Director

Sofia Laine

Arts and culture Covid-19 Criminality Crises and conflicts Democracy Education Ethics and methods Inclusion and participation Leisure time Planetary youth research Politics Regular data collection Social relationships Values and attitudes Well-being Work and livelihood Youth cultures Youth work

PhD, title of docent in Youth Research (University of Tampere)
Research Professor
+358 44 416 5374
sofia.laine@youthresearch.fi

Profile of the researcher

Project Researchers

Konsta Happonen

Covid-19 Democracy Equality Ethics and methods Gender Health and mental health Leisure time Marginal groups Media Planetary youth research Politics Regular data collection Social relationships Sport Transitions Values and attitudes Well-being Work and livelihood