WP4: Exploring Young Peoples visions of the future in Bearalváhkki/Berlevåg

WP4 “Local and global futures: young people’s visions of sustainable livelihoods and inclusive environmental decision-making” aims at addressing and understanding key challenges faced by local youth related to sustainable and inclusive futures in the Arctic.

The project aims at assessing the impact, including opportunities and challenges, of climate change mitigation measures as experienced by young people living in Finnmark. In doing so, the project wants to collaboratively engage and understand young people’s vision of the future in relation to climate change in the Arctic. With a critical conceptualization of sustainability, WP4 focuses on decolonial ideas and visions of sustainability, by bringing together different knowledge systems. As a result, the participants’ conversations will be shaped into a format to communicate their discussions to a broader audience.

Workshop in Bearalváhkki

On March 25th, young people aged 13 to 18 came together in Bearalváhkki to share their experiences of growing up in the community and to envision their futures. The workshop kicked off with a Mentimeter activity, asking participants, “What do you think of when you hear the word climate change?”

Next, participants took part in a World Café, splitting into small groups to discuss how climate change affects their lives and what it might mean for their future. The session wrapped up with a creative mind-mapping activity, where the youth highlighted what they love about their municipality and what they hope to see in the years to come. A recurring theme that emerged was the sense of safety that comes with growing up in a small community. Youth participants reflected on how people in Bearalváhkki support one another, and how the peacefulness and silence and quiet of the area contribute to a feeling of security and belonging.

The discussion then turned to climate change and its impacts. The youth highlighted several negative effects, including rising temperatures, more extreme weather, melting ice, and reduced winter snowfall, all of which affect animal life on land and at sea. These changes in ecosystems were linked to both human and animal well-being, which relates to birgejupmi.

Thinking About the Future

When discussing the future, the young workshop participants expressed concern about the availability of workplaces. Job opportunities for young people today, and in the years to come, were highlighted as a key part of growing up in Bearalváhkki. They noted that climate change could impact local industries such as fishing, fish farming, and tourism, which are central to the community’s economy. The discussion also touched on the growing need for energy and renewable energy production, such as wind turbines, seen by youth as something that can be good, but also leads to negative impacts by harming the environment and animal life.

Next Steps for WP4

Over the spring, the insights and materials from the workshops in Unjárga and Bearalváhkki will be transformed into a format to share the youth’s discussions with a wider audience in their communities. While it is still a work in progress and ideas are evolving, the plan is to present the findings in a multimodal way, blending presentation-style formats with an exhibition-like setup, where the mind maps created during the workshops could be brought to life with photographs contributed by the participants, helping to showcase their ideas in a dynamic and engaging way.

The voices of Bearalváhkki’s youth remind us that the future is in their hands. Their hopes, ideas, and concerns about work, the environment, and community life show how much they care and how much we can learn from them.