Mindchanger identification, analysis and recognition: youth perceptions

ABSTRACT

Youth participation and activism are considered key factors in making the world a fairer, more inclusive, and sustainable place. In line with this idea, in this work, we aim to understand how young people who actively participate in social organizations perceive the characteristics that define young ‘mindchangers.’ By this concept, we refer to a young citizen who is committed to social justice and willing to change society’s mindsets and catalyse active participation among their peers. In our research design, we adopted a quantitative methodological approach using a survey procedure. The results reveal a high level of agreement on the traits that define a Mindchanger. We conclude by emphasizing that the characteristics to which young respondents attribute the highest importance, such as ‘promoter of change’, ‘open-minded’, ‘interest in global issues’, ‘open to international solidarity’ and ‘empathy’, appear to have the greatest influence on the likelihood of becoming a Mindchanger.

KEYWORDS:

• Sustainability
• youth participation
• engagement
• global awareness
• active citizenship

Acknowledgments

This study was commissioned by Government of La Rioja (Spain) within the project “Mindchangers – Regions and Youth for Planet and People”, co-funded by the European Commission. The study is part of the research “How to shift from awareness to active engagement on Agenda 2030 for LAs and CSOs”, realized in 6 European countries under the coordination of the University of Craiova. More information about this research will be available by the end of 2022 on the website www.mindchangers.eu. The authors would like to thank the Government of La Rioja (Directorate General for Cooperation and 2030 Agenda) for their support through the contract OTCA210226

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. http://learninginplaces.org/. The University of Washington Bothell Goodlad Institute for Educational Renewal, Northwestern University, Tilth Alliance and Seattle Public Schools have partnered for this project. Funded by the National Science Foundation, the project builds outdoor learning spaces and draws upon local communities and green spaces at several Seattle schools while developing a robust model of equitable field-based learning for preK-3 educators to engage students and their families in complex socio-ecological reasoning and decision-making.

Additional information

Funding

The work was supported by the Gobierno de La Rioja (Dirección General de Cooperación y Agenda 2030) [OTCA210226].

Notes on contributors

Fermín Navaridas-Nalda

Fermín Navaridas-Nalda holds a Ph.D. in Education Sciences from the National Distance Education University (UNED, Spain) and has been honored with a Doctorate Extraordinary Award. He serves as an Associate Professor in the Teaching and School Organization Area within the Department of Education Sciences at the University of La Rioja. Throughout his academic career, he has taken on various administrative roles, such as Vice Dean of Education and, more recently, Director General of Training and Teaching Innovation at the University of La Rioja. Additionally, he is a member of the research group: UNESCO Chair on Democratic Citizenship and Cultural Freedom (UNESCO UR).

Ana González-Marcos

Ana González-Marcos, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of La Rioja, Spain. Her diverse research interests encompass project management, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing. Engaging in various research projects, she has contributed to fields such as industrial process modeling and optimization, astrophysical parameter estimation, and data analysis in education, with a particular focus on learning analytics.

Esther Raya-Díez

Esther Raya Diez is an Associate Professor at the University of La Rioja, specializing in the field of Social Work and Social Services. She holds a Ph.D. in Political Science and Sociology from the University of the Basque Country. Since 2007, Dr. Raya Diez has been an active researcher affiliated with the UNESCO Chair on Democratic Citizenship and Cultural Freedom at the University of La Rioja, contributing significantly to various academic roles within the institution. Her involvement extends to numerous national and international research projects, where she focuses on social intervention methodology, the human rights approach, and the design, planning, and evaluation of social projects. Her dedication to these areas reflects a commitment to advancing knowledge and practices in the field of social sciences.

Ana María Vega-Gutiérrez

Ana María Vega Gutiérrez, PhD, is a Professor of Ecclesiastical Law of the State at the University of La Rioja and a University Specialist in Bioethics from the University of Valladolid. She has served as the Director of the UNESCO Chair on Democratic Citizenship and Cultural Freedom at the University of La Rioja since 2007, with the scientific aim of transferring knowledge pertaining to the implementation of a rights-based approach in public policies, particularly in the realms of social and education policies. Since 2003, she has been directing and coordinating international summer courses on human rights for young people, held at the United Nations headquarters in Geneva. Her research interests include the management of religious and cultural diversity, the right to education, the prevention of violent extremism, the protection of minority groups, and women's rights.