IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v14y2022i6p3426-d771480.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Youth Empowerment for Sustainable Development: Exploring Ecosocial Work Discourses

Author

Listed:
  • Elvi Chang

    (Department of Social Work and Criminology, University of Gävle, 801 76 Gävle, Sweden)

  • Stefan Sjöberg

    (Department of Social Work and Criminology, University of Gävle, 801 76 Gävle, Sweden)

  • Päivi Turunen

    (Department of Social Work and Criminology, University of Gävle, 801 76 Gävle, Sweden)

  • Komalsingh Rambaree

    (Department of Social Work and Criminology, University of Gävle, 801 76 Gävle, Sweden)

Abstract

Youth empowerment within the context of sustainable development (SD) is starting to gain more attention within social work, both internationally and in Sweden. SD, as an integrated set of global goals in tackling social, economic, and ecological challenges, is a vital concept in social work. Protecting people and the natural environment can be considered the fullest realization of the person-in-environment, a foundation upon which the social work profession is built. The ecosocial perspective is widely discussed in terms of societal transformation in harmony with nature. Within this context, this article explores ecosocial work discourses in youth empowerment. Data were gathered through 20 qualitative semi-structured interviews with key representatives of youth organizations from Gävle municipality, Sweden, and analyzed using ATLAS.ti v.9.0. The main findings are discussed within the framework of ecosocial work, youth empowerment, and a Foucauldian perspective on discourse, power, and knowledge. The results indicate the need for an ecosocial youth empowerment, calling for increased knowledge of both youth empowerment through SD and ecosocial work for those working with/for youth connected to social work practice. The results highlight the importance of an ecosocial youth empowerment on a more structural and collective level.

Suggested Citation

  • Elvi Chang & Stefan Sjöberg & Päivi Turunen & Komalsingh Rambaree, 2022. "Youth Empowerment for Sustainable Development: Exploring Ecosocial Work Discourses," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-27, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:6:p:3426-:d:771480
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/6/3426/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/6/3426/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. World Commission on Environment and Development,, 1987. "Our Common Future," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780192820808.
    2. Martina Keitsch, 2018. "Structuring Ethical Interpretations of the Sustainable Development Goals—Concepts, Implications and Progress," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-9, March.
    3. Johan Colding & Stephan Barthel & Robert Ljung & Felix Eriksson & Stefan Sjöberg, 2022. "Urban Commons and Collective Action to Address Climate Change," Social Inclusion, Cogitatio Press, vol. 10(1), pages 103-114.
    4. Efrat Eizenberg & Yosef Jabareen, 2017. "Social Sustainability: A New Conceptual Framework," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(1), pages 1-16, January.
    5. Olle Torpman & Helena Röcklinsberg, 2021. "Reinterpreting the SDGs: Taking Animals into Direct Consideration," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-11, January.
    6. Ian Gough, 2017. "Heat, Greed and Human Need," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 16991.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Corina-Ionela Dumitrescu & Georgiana Moiceanu & Razvan-Mihai Dobrescu & Mirona Ana Maria Popescu, 2022. "Analysis of UNESCO ESD Priority Areas’ Implementation in Romanian HEIs," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(20), pages 1-17, October.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Agnieszka Wojewódzka-Wiewiórska & Anna Kłoczko-Gajewska & Piotr Sulewski, 2019. "Between the Social and Economic Dimensions of Sustainability in Rural Areas—In Search of Farmers’ Quality of Life," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-26, December.
    2. Çağla Beyaz & Çilen Erçin, 2023. "Evaluation of Modern Architecture Criteria in the Context of Sustainability and Architectural Approach; Modern Period in North Nicosia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-48, June.
    3. Krystyna Kurowska & Renata Marks-Bielska & Stanisław Bielski & Audrius Aleknavičius & Cezary Kowalczyk, 2020. "Geographic Information Systems and the Sustainable Development of Rural Areas," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(1), pages 1-18, December.
    4. Kosa Golić & Vesna Kosorić & Slavica Stamatovic Vuckovic & Kosara Kujundzic, 2023. "Strategies for Realization of Socially Sustainable Residential Buildings: Experts’ Perspectives," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-31, April.
    5. Fatmaelzahraa Hussein & John Stephens & Reena Tiwari, 2020. "Memory for Social Sustainability: Recalling Cultural Memories in Zanqit Alsitat Historical Street Market, Alexandria, Egypt," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(19), pages 1-20, October.
    6. Nessa Winston, 2021. "Sustainable community development: Integrating social and environmental sustainability for sustainable housing and communities," Working Papers 202106, Geary Institute, University College Dublin.
    7. Thi Huyen Le & Yoshinori Nakagawa & Yutaka Kobayashi, 2021. "Conditions under Which Rural-to-Urban Migration Enhances Social and Economic Sustainability of Home Communities: A Case Study in Vietnam," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-18, July.
    8. Jason Phillips, 2024. "Quantifying the levels, nature, and dynamics of sustainability for the UK 2000–2018 from a Brundtland perspective," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 26(7), pages 17905-17939, July.
    9. Judith Janker, 2020. "Moral conflicts, premises and the social dimension of agricultural sustainability," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 37(1), pages 97-111, March.
    10. Judith Janker & Stefan Mann, 2020. "Understanding the social dimension of sustainability in agriculture: a critical review of sustainability assessment tools," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 22(3), pages 1671-1691, March.
    11. Nessa Winston, 2022. "Sustainable community development: Integrating social and environmental sustainability for sustainable housing and communities," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 30(1), pages 191-202, February.
    12. Lili-Ann Wolff & Peter Ehrström, 2020. "Social Sustainability and Transformation in Higher Educational Settings: A Utopia or Possibility?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-21, May.
    13. Isabella M. Lami & Beatrice Mecca, 2020. "Assessing Social Sustainability for Achieving Sustainable Architecture," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-21, December.
    14. Fatemeh Jouzi & Katariina Koistinen & Lassi Linnanen, 2021. "Time as a Subject in Sustainable Consumption," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-12, March.
    15. Olivera Kostoska & Ljupco Kocarev, 2019. "A Novel ICT Framework for Sustainable Development Goals," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-31, April.
    16. Hossein Farhadikhah & Keramatollah Ziari, 2021. "Social sustainability between old and new neighborhoods (case study: Tehran neighborhoods)," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(2), pages 2596-2613, February.
    17. Gianluca Elia & Alessandro Margherita & Claudio Petti, 2020. "Building responses to sustainable development challenges: A multistakeholder collaboration framework and application to climate change," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(6), pages 2465-2478, September.
    18. LaDawn Haglund, 2019. "Human Rights Pathways to Just Sustainabilities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-19, June.
    19. Yafei Liu & Martin Dijst & Stan Geertman & Can Cui, 2017. "Social Sustainability in an Ageing Chinese Society: Towards an Integrative Conceptual Framework," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(4), pages 1-15, April.
    20. Natalia Sánchez-Arrieta & Rafael A. González & Antonio Cañabate & Ferran Sabate, 2021. "Social Capital on Social Networking Sites: A Social Network Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-35, May.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:6:p:3426-:d:771480. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.