Concrete utopias as a means to promote youth civic engagement

Authors

• Antti Rajala Oulun yliopisto https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8212-6325
• Jarmo Lehtinen Lempäälän lukio
• Elina Lehtomäki Oulun yliopisto https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3733-0578
• Pihla Soinnunmaa Helsingin yliopisto
• Mikael Sorri Etelä-Tapiolan Lukio
• Riikka Suhonen Ammattioppilaitos Luksia; Helsingin yliopisto

DOI: https://doi.org/10.33350/ka.111560

Keywords:

Concrete utopia, Civic engagement, Pedagogy, Climate change, Climate activism

Abstract

This paper examines what kind of pedagogy could promote youth civic activism in the situation when humankind is crossing planetary boundaries. Specifically, the study explores the pedagogical potential of the concept ‘concrete utopia’ for promoting the capability of upper secondary and vocational students for civic engagement. The paper first briefly introduces the concept of utopia and how it is used in sociology and education sciences. After that, a pedagogical model is presented, which has been developed in the research project Pedagogy of concrete utopias: Fostering youth agency and climate activism in formal education. The project aims to design and investigate pedagogical approaches for responding to youth’s concerns about climate change, supporting the development of their active citizenship, and promoting actions for sustainable development in upper secondary and vocational schools. The paper ends with reflections on the significance of the pedagogical model for further developing citizenship education and promoting youth civic engagement.