Young People's Visions: Sustainability and Environmental Decision-Making in Northern Sápmi

This project engages with the impacts of the green transition in Northern Sápmi, with a particular focus on the perspectives and experiences of young people living in this region. The project will be carried out in close collaboration with the Indigenous Voices Research Group (IVO) at the Arctic University of Norway (UiT), and is part of the collaborative EU Horizon project BIRGEJUPMI. The EU project endeavours to apply transdisciplinary and co-productive research approaches across the overall project, and as most work packages will be led by Indigenous researchers and experts, BIRGEJUPMI is one of the first fully Indigenous-driven EU Horizon projects.

BIRGEJUPMI: Bridging Knowledge Systems for Inclusive, Resilient, and Prosperous Arctic Coastal Futures

The EU-funded project "BIRGEJUPMI: Bridging Knowledge Systems for Inclusive, Resilient, and Prosperous Arctic Coastal Futures" aims to strengthen community engagement and relational environmental decision-making in Arctic coastal regions by bringing together diverse knowledge systems (Indigenous, Western, and local) and embracing a holistic, ethical, and equitable community-based approach to research with strong Indigenous leadership. Empowering communities to use and develop their own knowledge is vital for fostering resilience, cultural preservation, and socio-ecological well-being, and mobilizes coastal communities to address local challenges effectively while promoting social cohesion. The term 'birgejupmi' is a Sámi concept referring to things that are essential to maintain a livelihood, including values, the sustainable use of resources, and social networks. The project BIRGEJUPMI is led by the University of Oulu, and will be carried out in partnership with Sámi Allaskuvla, the Saami Council, the Indigenous Voices Research Group (IVO) at UiT - the Arctic University of Norway, Alta Museum, Dáiddadállu, Ikitsivik, Psykolog Paarnaq, Árvu AS, the University of Tartu, and National Dong HWA University, and focuses on three Arctic areas: western Sápmi, northern Sápmi, and Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland).

Local and Global Futures: Young People's Visions of Sustainable Livelihoods and Inclusive Environmental Decision-Making in Northern Sápmi - And How This Connects to EU and German Green Transition Investments

The RIFS research group reIMAGINE Arctic Research will lead BIRGEJUPMI's Work Package 4 "Local and Global Futures: Young People's Visions of Sustainable Livelihoods and Inclusive Environmental Decision-Making", and collaborate closely with their long-term partner, the Indigenous Voices Research Group (IVO) at the Arctic University of Norway (UiT). Research in WP4 aims to assess the impacts, including opportunities and challenges, of climate change mitigation measures as experienced by young people in the municipalities of Unjargga/Nesseby and Berlevåg in Northern Sápmi. A specific focus will be put on current plans for green energy initiatives, including wind parks and power lines. The expansion of renewable energy infrastructure in this region, coupled with the demand for green energy in Germany and other central European countries, directly impacts the lives of people living in Arctic coastal areas, and is referred to by Sámi scholars and activists as "green colonialism". While many German communities resist plans for wind farms in their vicinities, German investors (such as the Stadtwerke Munich) invest in wind projects in Sápmi, thereby externalizing the impacts of green transition measures. This connection - metaphorically approaching the subject from two ends of the power lines - is of particular interest to the reIMAGINE group.

Through imagining alternative futures, the WP focuses on eliciting young people's experiences of living in an environment marked by climate-change induced changes, and changes brought on by these adaptive measures. Researchers will co-define common goals and ways of working together with youth representatives in a participatory community workshop and develop a multimodal exhibition together, engaging with young people's future visions of everyday life and environmental decision-making in East-Finnmark.

RIFS researchers will also lead several tasks focused on data management, joint reflection, and evaluation and contribute to the project's cross-cutting work packages. Lessons learned will provide novel insights into the advancement of co-productive and transdisciplinary research approaches and evaluation practices vital to RIFS research groups and focal themes.

Funding information

The BIRGEJUPMI project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101182041.