Critical Global Citizenship through collaborative research with youth (2024-2028)

It is impossible to plan for the future without taking into account the new generation of young people who, for better or worse, will inherit the planet. In a report published in 2022, UNESCO calls on universities to meet the new challenges of education by systematizing learning through participatory methodologies that include "youth-led research" (p. 129). The global challenges established by the UN in the form of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) guide this social contract, and their relevance for education in Spain is evident in the inclusion of these goals as a cross-curricular approach in the education system (LOMLOE, 2020).

The proposed research aims to address global problems such as climate change, inequalities, hate speech and xenophobia from the perspective of the young people. Although both national and international research has detected trends of apathy and disconnection from political-civic life among minors, it is true that the adult-centric approaches of today's society do not provide tools to awaken their interest and encourage their participation. By identifying, training, and advising groups of young people investigating global challenges (JIRG), we aim to disrupt their sense of powerlessness and redress their institutional exclusion from major debates and action plans promoted by global organizations, involving these youth as global citizens who are critical and active in the construction of their own futures.

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Our qualitative methodology is adapted to the main objectives of the project, providing the degree of depth and participation necessary to 1) inquire into the perspectives and life experiences of young people with respect to global challenges, 2) design JIRG projects and document the processes, and 3) evaluate, systematize, and disseminate the results to the public and academic circles. In the first phase of the project, we will review existing sources on the state of the art, including academic literature, reports, and institutional frameworks at various levels (international, national, and autonomic). Informed by this context, we will conduct data collection through semi-structured indepth interviews with professionals and young people involved in social movements related to the issue. In the second phase, we will select young people to form JIRG groups and provide the necessary specialized training and support, in terms of content and methodology, to carry out youth-led research. In the last phase, we will analyze the results, contrast them with existing frameworks of information, facilitate discussion with experts, disseminate the information obtained at the academic level, and disseminate it to interested social sectors.
 

Our research is contextualized in the Autonomous Community of Galicia, where we have developed our research trajectory and formed the contacts and collaborative relationships necessary to carry it out. At the same time, as part of a Coordinated Project, the research will be strengthened by the close collaboration with the other two territorial teams, through processes of internal training, interpretative dialogue, and communication of the results.