Nearly a decade on, global school strikes in response to the threats of chaotic climate change have underscored why youth action is vital and effective. While the experience of a world pandemic may have interrupted the rise of youthful street activism, it has also served to underscore the problems of deepening inequality and the risks of increasingly authoritarian government responses that young citizens must also confront. Against this background the message of this substantially revised edition is as important today as it was when it was first published. Controversial, yet ultimately hopeful, political scientist Bronwyn Hayward rethinks assumptions about youth citizenship in neoliberal democracies. Writing with co-authors: school climate strikers, Indigenous and disability activists, teachers, researchers and community advocates, Hayward develops her ‘SEEDS’ model of ecological citizenship for a school strike generation. The SEEDS of citizenship focus on Social agency, Environmental education, Embedded justice, Decentred deliberation and Self-transcendence. Discussion considers how these SEEDS of citizenship support young citizens’ democratic imagination and develop their ‘handprint’ for social justice.

This ground-breaking book will be of interest to a wide audience, in particular teachers and professionals who work in Environmental Citizenship Education, as well as students and community activists with an interest in environmental change, democracy and intergenerational justice.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Supporting the #SchoolStrike generation 2. Neoliberalism and children’s everyday citizenship: ‘Bowling with a sponsor’ or ‘DIY activism’? with Sylvia Nissen and Kate Prendergast 3.Growing greener citizens? SMART, FEARS or SEEDS citizenship? 4. Social agency: Learning how to make a difference with others 5. Environmental education for a chaotic climate 6. Embedded justice: Learning about ecological rights and responsibilities 7. Decentered deliberation: Can we strengthen democratic listening? 8. The social handprint, self transcendence and critical hope

Children, Citizenship and Environment