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Victoria, Wicklow, and ‘Fridays for Future’
“ It’s empowering, even if you’re not getting the change you need, it still brings hope.“
Location
Wicklow
Name
Victoria
Useful Links
Fridays for Future Ireland: Link
List of Climate action groups for young people in Ireland (from Spunout, Nov 2023): Link
Impact:
There are no measurable impacts for this action as there are too many variables. However, getting involved in collective actions to effect change can be very impactful – but only if the right actions are chosen (see below).
My personal sustainability action was
With the organization Fridays for Future, organized protests during the global climate strikes. 2-3 months prep work with a small team aged between 15-25
What inspired you to do this?
“I could see through my experience and my studies that not enough political action was being done.” “It’s empowering, even if you’re not getting the change you need, it still brings hope.”
The Impact of the Change
It gave me a feeling of empowerment, an ability to network with people also passionate about this, and skills gained in the fields of activism
What advice would you have for others to do something similar?
Just find other people and joining a group, not just being an individual, but being a part of something that can have an impact. It’s harder to burn out when you’re in a group. Don’t worry about knowing everything beforehand.
Some research suggests that actions that are perceived as legitimate are more effective
Lizzio-Wilson et al (2023) found that radical actions have been found to be less persuasive and more polarising for some issues. Her research which analysed responses to animal rights groups actions, found that radical actions (for example, undercover investigations at factory farms) were perceived as being both less effective and less legitimate than conventional tactics (such as advocating for legislative reform, or reducing meat consumption).
Lizzio-Wilson, M., Thomas, E. F., Louis, W. R., Amiot, C. E., Bury, S. M., Molenberghs, P., Decety, J., & Crane, M. F. (2022). Do the means affect the ends? Radical tactics influence motivation and action tendencies via the perceived legitimacy and efficacy of those actions. European Journal of Social Psychology, 52, 695–717. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.2847
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