Place-based and intergenerational storytelling for youth climate action: moving beyond participation and towards momentum

Halstead, Florence and Parsons, Katie J. and Vo, Thu and Lloyd Williams, Alison and Jones, Lisa and Le, Hue and Nguyen, Anh and Hackney, Christopher and Parsons, Daniel (2025) Place-based and intergenerational storytelling for youth climate action: moving beyond participation and towards momentum. Children's Geographies. pp. 1-8. ISSN 1473-3285

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Abstract

The urgency of the climate crisis necessitates inclusive approaches that engage marginalised groups, particularly youth, in meaningful and sustained ways. This paper explores the transformative potential of place-based and intergenerational storytelling for fostering youth climate action, drawing on insights from a British Academy-funded project in Vietnam. Building on Lundy’s Model of Participation, we integrate “momentum” as a critical extension to sustain youth engagement within and beyond initial participation. We suggest intergenerational story-telling offers a route to deepen emotional connections, foster agency, anchor climate action within local contexts, and act as a vehicle to simultaneously maintain motivation and momentum throughout. We demonstrate how influence and momentum must intertwine to achieve lasting outcomes and challenge the assumption that momentum naturally follows participation. In the context of climate change, where challenges are complex and ongoing, momentum must be explicitly nurtured and embedded into theory and practice. By incorporating place-based and intergenerational storytelling into youth engagement strategies–while critically considering momentum–we offer a flexible, scalable framework for researchers and practitioners to drive sustainable, impactful youth climate action.