Youth rise up for our environment

Abstract

Malta has experienced an increase in protests in defence of the environment between 2019 and 2020. Youth have been a major component in these protests, with some of the protests being organised by the youth themselves. This research is aimed to answer what drives youth to participate in protests and what effect social media has, if any. This research took a qualitative approach, where six participants took part in a S.Q.U.I.N. interview. Using thematic analysis which three main themes were observed. The first theme is from where the youth developed their values. Namely from different educational systems and the community, including their friends and organisations they are part of. The second theme is what motivated them to act, such as changing landscape and events within the environmental movement, which led them to feel angry with the environmental situation. The third theme was the process by which they decided to actively in a protest. The study identified local and global issues that educated and informed the youth to act and how strong ties positively affect the participation in protests. The main finding shows that the different elements of the three themes motivated and helped the youth to decide to act. However, the most important findings are education and the community, especially their friends. Moreover, social media is a gateway to protesting. However, for the youth it is not enough and they feel that they need to be more active. As to recommendations the researcher proposes that ENGOs build on weak ties and endeavour to target local issues. Moreover, early education can positively impact future activism in the youths’ life.