Climate Youth Council 2024 (Part 2) : A Political Participation Project by Students Based on the Climate Citizens' Assembly

The Climate Citizens' Assembly (CCA) project stated, "European democracies have failed to address climate change, one of the most urgent issues of the 21st century." It also criticized that "the dominance of partisan politics, short-term thinking, extensive lobbying by multinational corporations, and political polarization have not only led to inadequate climate policies but have also weakened democracy." Therefore, it emphasized that "to truly engage citizens in the game, rather than relying on false promises or half-hearted participation procedures, real impact must be achieved through deliberation and political commitment." The CCA proposes the Climate Citizens' Assembly as a way for citizens to strengthen democracy and confront climate change.

<table 1> How European Citizens Can Strengthen Democracy and Confront Climate Change (CCA, 2025)

In designing the process of the Climate Youth Council, we consulted with the Energy and Climate Policy Institute, which has been researching various domestic and international climate citizens' assembly cases, and incorporated the step-by-step process proposed by the CCA as much as possible. However, since the Climate Youth Council is conducted as part of a liberal arts course at Kyung Hee University, aspects such as student recruitment (Climate Youth Council members), class schedule (3 hours per week for 16 weeks), and evaluations were designed considering the realities of university courses. For reference, the course "Climate Crisis and Direct Action" is one of 11 subjects under the SDGs, which was offered by the Kyung Hee University Humanities College with support from the Ministry of Education.

<Table 2> Process of the Climate Youth Assembly

In the course syllabus for "Climate Crisis and Direct Action" for the Fall 2024 semester, the goal of the course was outlined, along with the mention that it would be conducted through the "Climate Youth Council." Ten students enrolled in the course were appointed as Climate Youth Council members, and eight of them participated in the “political follow-up activities” conducted after the course ended. However, since the course was designed specifically for students enrolled in "Climate Crisis and Direct Action," there were structural challenges for anyone to participate in the Climate Youth Council process and discussions. To address this, all learning materials were shared through Kyung Hee University's e-campus resources, and an open chat room was created for regular communication. Notably, the CCA emphasized continuous campaigning, and in collaboration with the social cooperative Patty, an online campaign was launched.

The Climate Youth Council differentiates itself from experiments in North America and Europe, as it does not involve participation in climate policies led by the government or local authorities. Instead, it actively involves citizens in the legislative process of the National Assembly, where they voice their opinions. At the beginning of the course, we conducted preliminary consultations with the offices of members of parliament who participated in the process of establishing the Carbon Neutrality Law. Through the learning and discussion process, the Climate Youth Council members directly developed a revision proposal for the Carbon Neutrality Law, which was then introduced by the members of parliament for petitioning in the National Assembly. At the start of the course, we shared with the students the nature of the results and the political follow-up activities involved.

Learning: Flipped Learning and Question-Based Learning

When preparing and conducting each semester's class, I often reflect on how to effectively facilitate students' learning in a way that helps them achieve the course's objectives. I believe that educators around the world, regardless of time and place, share similar concerns. In particular, in liberal arts education, it is important for learners to discover their own desires and take responsibility for identifying the actions they must take to pursue them. As educators, we must step down from the role of knowledge disseminators or knowers and respect and trust the learners' autonomy in making judgments and forming their own awareness of the issues.

As emphasized in the Böckler Agreement, it is crucial for students to take the lead in bringing social issues into the classroom, discussing them, and, furthermore, cultivating their political agency. The learning topics were chosen to focus on issues that can enhance climate crisis literacy, including special lectures and on-site discussions, with a total of 10 selected. Additionally, we connected the issues raised in the learning topics to the specific provisions of the Carbon Neutrality Basic Act and conducted readings and discussions. To enhance the learning effect, we utilized teaching methods such as flipped learning, question-based learning, and one-minute reports.

<table 3> Learning Topics

The concept of 'Flipped Learning' refers to a teaching approach that contrasts with traditional lecture-based methods. In flipped learning, students are provided with pre-recorded lecture videos or materials to study in advance, allowing class time to be used for interactive activities such as discussions or solving assignments. In the case of this class, short lecture videos (around 15 minutes) were produced for each week's topic and distributed to students ahead of time. Additionally, students were encouraged to submit questions related to the lecture topic before the class began.

Secondly, during class, students shared the questions they selected, and through collaborative discussions, they chose specific questions to focus on for in-depth discussions. This approach allowed for the development of 'question-centered learning', where students actively create their own questions, engage in discussions, and work together to draw conclusions. This method highlighted the effectiveness of collaborative learning in which students take an active role in their learning process and co-construct knowledge, confirming the potential of question-centered learning (Yoonyui Yang, Jaeryong Jo, 2020).

Question Activity Example (1): Carbon Budget

Last year, I took a course called "Sociology of the Anthropocene." During the course, we discussed violent protests by environmental organizations. The main topic of debate was whether such violent actions (e.g., vandalism of art with paint by environmental groups) are justified. I’m curious to know how my peers think about such events or phenomena.

Question Activity Example (2): Climate Justice

This raised a question in my mind: "If the world’s poorest countries suffer due to their inability to cope with climate change, is it solely the responsibility of the developed nations?" It also made me wonder, "If developed countries are to take responsibility for the damages suffered by developing nations, to what extent should they provide assistance?"

Question Activity Example (3): Climate Suit

In the video, it was mentioned that the Constitutional Court ruled that Article 8, Section 1 of the Carbon Neutrality Act violated the environmental rights of future generations. However, I wonder if amending this legal provision might lead to the violation of the fundamental rights of the current generation, rather than the future one.

Third, at the end of each class, I used the "One Minute Paper" to summarize the students' reactions and evaluations. The "One Minute Paper," which is known to have been invented by Charles Schwartz, a physics professor at the University of California, Berkeley, in the early 1980s, is a brief activity where students write a quick response to a question posed by the professor during class. It was popularized by Angelo and Cross as one of the diverse and quick "classroom assessment techniques" and was designed to provide professors with anonymous feedback about what students are learning in class.

At the end of each class, I asked students two questions: "What is the key idea you learned in today's class?" and "What ideas are still unclear after the class?" Students answered these questions anonymously in one minute. I then reviewed the responses and used some of them in the next class to provide additional explanations or facilitate further discussions.

One Minute Paper Example (1)

We had a debate on what role the government should play in achieving carbon emission reduction targets, splitting into two groups based on the political parties (ruling and opposition). This made me think more deeply about the positions of both the government and businesses.

For instance, in the context of the Paris Olympics, the French government provided accommodation and meals to athletes. If they hadn’t provided these supports and the athletes’ health were compromised, who would be responsible? Would it be the government's responsibility or France’s?

This comparison made me reflect on the broader responsibility of the government in managing societal issues, including climate change, and how different stakeholders (government, businesses, and citizens) all play roles in addressing these challenges.

One Minute Paper Example (2)

I once again realized that climate change remains an issue of inequality between countries with established privileges (developed nations) and those without (developing nations). This experience also helped me understand the concept of climate justice. However, I found the carbon emission compromise between developed and developing countries to be unclear. The specific terms and responsibilities for both sides are still ambiguous, which makes it challenging to address this issue in a fair and effective manner.

Deliberation: Problem Definition and Conflict Analysis

In the first half of each class, flipped learning and question-based learning methods were used to facilitate discussions on the climate crisis and response policies. In the latter half, time was allocated for selecting and exploring topics of interest. Especially in the process of exploring topics, students were encouraged to use public data, emphasizing evidence-based problem definition. Defining the problem clearly is essential because it helps determine what (What) and how (How) to address it.

The process of exploring and specifying a topic strengthens problem-setting capabilities. The problem definition stage is carried out through fact-finding surveys and conflict analysis. Problem-solving without a clear problem definition is impossible or meaningless (Kyung Hee University, 2022a).

First, the students selected their topics of interest in connection with the Carbon Neutrality Act, which is related to climate crisis response policies. Throughout the process of exploring their topics, the students continuously discussed why (Why) the selected topics were important from the perspective of citizenship. During this period, the students read relevant books and wrote essays, engaging in peer reviews and discussions with their classmates.

Second, the fact-finding survey (What) regarding the selected topics was approached by dividing it into the dimensions of government, market, and civil society. Government policies were analyzed by identifying related laws and systems through the Ministry of Government Legislation's legal information center and organizing the relevant government departments and their policies. Additionally, the students used the Policy Research Management System (PRISM) to analyze policy research reports commissioned by the government, identifying relevant domestic and international cases. Further, they reviewed data from the National Statistics Portal and the Ministry of Environment’s Carbon Neutrality Portal.

The market situation was explored by first examining the interests of business groups such as the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, along with portal and media searches. The students also reviewed individual companies' disclosures through the Financial Supervisory Service's electronic disclosure system (DART). For civil society, the students conducted searches through portals and environmental organizations' websites.

Third, conflict analysis (Who) was conducted to understand the positions and interests of key stakeholders such as government, market, and civil society. Due to their different operating principles, even the same social issue can be viewed differently, and underlying needs (interests) are often not immediately apparent. The core operating principles for the government are 'resource distribution,' for the market, it is 'profit,' and for civil society, it is 'reciprocity and solidarity.' In this process, it was important to examine the underlying needs (interests) beyond the positions expressed by major stakeholders. To facilitate this, role-playing activities were conducted in class where students represented the positions of government, market, and civil society, advocating for their respective arguments and engaging in discussions. After stepping into the shoes of others, criticizing them with care helps both the critic and the criticized grow. Criticism presupposes that both parties approach it with an open mind, and beyond words, it demands ‘change in consciousness’ and ‘action’ (Kyung Hee University, 2022b).

Fourth, expert lectures and discussions were held. Professor Donmoon Jo, emeritus professor at Catholic University and author of Inequality Ideology, gave a lecture on 'Climate Crisis and Inequality,' and Hyunwoo Kim, director of the Degrowth and Alternative Research Institute, gave a lecture on 'Climate Crisis Response and Degrowth.' In the process of exploring the phenomena, causes, and solutions to individual problems, it is easy to overlook structural social issues. This process involved contemplating the fundamental contradictions of the capitalist system, which causes the problems, while also imagining the best possible alternatives. Additionally, two field discussions were held. The students met with attorney Younghee Kim, who served as the legal representative for climate litigation at the Lawyers for Democracy office, and with Jinwoo Lee and Sangmin Han, assistants to the National Assembly's Industry, Trade, and Energy Committee, who were involved in the process of enacting the Carbon Neutrality Act. In these field discussions, the students received feedback and advice on the draft of the revised Carbon Neutrality Act. The insights gained from meeting experts who are actively practicing climate crisis responses were invaluable in terms of building confidence and effectiveness in direct action.

In the article (Part 3), the students presented the recommendations they had formulated as Climate Youth Representatives, and the final conclusions can be confirmed.