Lights, camera, environmental action : messages in youth environmental videos
Loading...
Issue Date
2010-03-16T22:21:47Z
Editor
Authors
Barwin, Alan
License
Subject
messaging
youth
environmental education
videos
peer talk
youth
environmental education
videos
peer talk
Abstract
An Inconvenient Truth was a catalyst for change in the way many adults think about the
environment. North American youth are perpetuating the dominant consumerist
paradigm, and will need to change their attitudes and behaviour to restore the health of
the planet in the future. This study identifies the content and messaging that youth see as
effective to engage their peers in pro-environmental attitudes and actions. Middle school
participants created environmental videos following a Participatory Video methodology.
A content analysis of the videos revealed that youth are optimistic and advocate
grassroots community action to “save the world.” The dominant messaging in the videos
is “peer talk,” characterized by youth language and diction, youth speaking directly to the
youth audience, youth talking to youth on screen, and content that is relevant to youth.
These findings are recommended in a grounded theory of effective environmental
education for youth through video.