Transforming climate-social futures

Young people have very different views on the future. On the one hand, many young climate activists, whose numbers have increased significantly thanks to the global Fridays for Future movement, emphasize the dangers and negative consequences associated with man-made climate change. Their activism is sometimes linked to a pessimistic view of the future. On the other hand, there are large sections of young people who have little interest or involvement in the climate crisis. Socially disadvantaged young people in particular are among those young people whose future is hardly addressed as something that can be shaped globally. Both groups - young activists and disadvantaged young people - are affected by the climate crisis as the next generation. However, they have different levels of interest and knowledge about what causes climate change and the consequences of the climate crisis. What both groups have in common is that they have little political say, even though they are the ones who will experience and shape the future. In our project, together with the groups concerned, NGOs, social work associations and the city government of Salzburg, we are exploring ways to create a shared, meaningful future horizon with young people. The different young people should be able to identify with these climate-social futures. At the same time, it should be a motivation for young people to become active here and now for a better future. Specifically, we want to find out what disadvantaged young people and climate activists in Salzburg need in order to deal positively with the climate crisis and strive for social transformation. We will focus on how to create shared visions of a climate-friendly future in a diverse community. Artistic approaches should help to create a concrete image of a social- ecological future, to change existing ideas of the future and to develop new ones. Finally, it is important to clarify what social, institutional and political hurdles and opportunities there are for implementing positive visions of the future in the city of Salzburg. Our project combines the strategies of the city and civil society to tackle the climate crisis with the ideas of young people. This creates new approaches on how to create a positive and transformative perspective for a diverse community of tomorrow through art and education in a city.