Evaluating participation of young people in the context of education for sustainable development

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) aims to equip people of all ages with the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes needed to shape a sustainable and just future. Young people have a crucial role to play in achieving this goal, as they will be both the future decision-makers and active agents of change. In order to involve young people, a special youth committee was set up as part of the German implementation of the UNESCO ESD 2030 program: the “youpaN”. The committee aims to empower young people to contribute their views to the political processes for implementing ESD in the German education system, for example by organizing events or engaging in dialogue with decision-makers.

This project aims to investigate the effects of youth participation in the ESD process and in youpaN in particular. The project team will examine the effects of young people’s participation on their own (educational) biography. On the other hand, the effect on the committees of the ESD process will be analyzed. To this end, the project team will first carry out a literature and document analysis and develop an impact model and a research design. Based on this, interviews will be conducted with youpaN members and adult representatives in the ESD forums. The results will be published in a report and a social media package suitable for young people.