Research Institute for Sustainability (RIFS) | at GFZ
WP4 Lead: Ilaria Sartini, Research Associate ilaria.sartini@rifs-potsdam.de
Saami Council
https://www.saamicouncil.net
WP4 Co-Lead: Per-Henning Mathisen, Advisor in the Arctic and Environmental Unit per.henning@saamicouncil.net
Local and global futures: young people’s visions
Overview & Objectives
WP4 explores how young people in Finnmark experience the opportunities and challenges of climate change mitigation, particularly in relation to expanding power production and wind energy in the Arctic. We bring young people together to share perspectives, knowledge, and visions of sustainable futures. Taking a decolonial approach, WP4 values different ways of knowing and understanding sustainability. Through creative collaboration, participants will turn their ideas and visions into a multimodal exhibition, creating a platform to share young people’s perspectives on energy, sustainability, and the future of the Arctic.
Understanding young people’s experiences
Explore the opportunities and challenges that climate change mitigation measures create for young people living in the coastal areas of Finnmark.
Co-creating visions for the future
Engage young people in co-designing and co-curating their visions for the future and environmental decision-making through a creative, multimodal exhibition.
Understanding young people’s experiences
Explore the opportunities and challenges that climate change mitigation measures create for young people living in the coastal areas of Finnmark.
Co-creating visions for the future
Engage young people in co-designing and co-curating their visions for the future and environmental decision-making through a creative, multimodal exhibition.
Activities & Relational Methods
At the heart of WP4 is a co-creative workshop held in two coastal communities in Eastern Finnmark. The workshop will be shaped together with the local communities to identify topics and questions that matter most to young people and local residents.
The workshop will create a space for young people in Finnmark to share and explore their visions of the future in the context of climate change mitigation and the transition to renewable energy. Through dialogue, debate, gaming, and creative activities, young participants will reflect on sustainability and environmental decision-making, and translate their ideas and perspectives into multimodal forms. The resulting exhibition will provide a platform for expression and dialogue, allowing young people’s visions to circulate within and beyond their local communities.
Expected Outcomes & Impact
The co-curated exhibition will make young people’s experiences and visions visible, highlighting how climate change and the transition to renewable energy are reshaping coastal communities in Finnmark. By bringing these perspectives into public spaces, WP4 aims to foster dialogue around alternative futures, sustainability, and environmental decision-making.
Co-creating an interactive exhibition
Co-design and co-curate The Future Is Now: Young People’s Visions of East Finnmark, a community exhibition bringing together photography, maps, and other creative forms of expression.
Creating a shared visual outcome
Develop a collective visual representation of the young participants’ ideas, experiences, and visions for the future, bringing their perspectives together in a shared creative format.
WP4 team members
Research Areas
Click each place to read more
Unjárga / Nesseby is a key Birgejupmi site where Sámi knowledge and youth co-design shape climate, marine, and invasive species research. Workshops and exhibitions explore future visions and assess wind energy’s cultural impacts, supporting Indigenous resilience and adaptation.
Bearalváhkki / Berlevåg is a key Birgejupmi site where youth shape visions for sustainable futures. Through workshops and exhibitions, they explore wind energy and socio-environmental change, fostering inclusive climate decisions and Indigenous resilience in East-Finnmark.
News & Publications from Work Package 4
Stay updated with the latest publications from this work package, including news articles, reports, and research summaries.
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From Workshop to Community: The Sharing Exhibition Event in Unjárga/Nesseby
Published: 28.07.2026EventIn June 2026, the Saami Council and RIFS organised a sharing event and exhibition in Unjárga/Nesseby, Sápmi. The event celebrated young people’s visions of sustainable futures, developed through Work Package 4.
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WP4: Exploring Young Peoples visions of the future in Bearalváhkki/Berlevåg
Published: 07.04.2026EventOn 25 March, WP4 hosted its second youth workshop in the coastal community of Bearalváhkki, following the first session in neighbouring Unjárga/Nesseby. Young people came together to share what it’s like to grow up in Bearalváhkki today, alongside their hopes and visions for the future.
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Exploring Young Peoples Future Visions – Fieldwork in Várjjat
Published: 17.03.2026FieldworkWP4 held a workshop in Várjjat in February, focusing on young people's visions of the future and birgejupmi.
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