The document discusses how discussions around youth, gender and climate change have focused on impacts but not agency. It argues for a shift to recognizing young people's agency by opening procedural spaces for participation from local to international scales, understanding how youth conceptualize risks and opportunities, and recognizing the broader benefits of empowering youth agency. The document also includes a participatory video made by Filipino youth about climate impacts in their community.

1. Youth, gender and climate change:
Moving from impacts to agency
Thomas Tanner
Institute of Development Studies (IDS), UK
Conference on Adolescent Girls: Cornerstone of Society: 26th April 2010

2. Instrumental focus on impacts

3. Within this response, there are missing faces
Source:
Save the
Children
Bangladesh

4. Also fails to stress social justice
dimensions
Source: Patz et
al, 2007
Ecohealth 4(4)

5. Justice and Child Rights Framings
Key concerns Key rights affected
Lack of access to water Rights to survival and
and irrigation infrastructure development
Insecure livelihoods / Right to education,
access to education Right to survival and devt
Right to non-discrimination
Right to protection
Insecurity associated with Right to protection
risks of abuse
Local environmental All particularly rights to
degradation survival and development
Source: Lack of voice or power Right to participate
Polack, 2010.
Children in a Changing
Climate working paper

6. Realising agency 1
Opening procedural spaces from local to international scale

7. Realising agency 2
• Different ways that children conceptualise risks and
opportunities from climate change.
Source:
Tanner et al 2009
Participatory Learning
and Action 60

8. Realising agency 3
• Recognising the broader multiple benefits of child agency
Implementation
Analysis Mobilisation
Communication
Source: Tanner
2010 Children and
Society 24(3)

9. But enough of my voice…
• Participatory video made by group of young people in Barobo
Eastern Samar, Philippines
• Barobo, The sinking Barangay

10. www.childreninachangingclimate.org
T.tanner@ids.ac.uk