Category: Agenda EN

Today marks the conclusion of the JustFutures research project. Over these four years, we have worked to understand and promote debate on climate justice, always committed to engaging diverse youth voices and perspectives. We would like to express our deepest gratitude to everyone who contributed to the successful execution of the project, including institutions, local associations, and initiatives in Porto, Braga, Lisbon, and the Algarve—and especially the young people who dedicated their time to collaborate in various activities. Our thanks also extend to all who participated in the closing conference held on March 25th. During this event, we shared the key findings of the research conducted by our team, shedding light on fundamental aspects of young people’s relationship with climate change and aiming to inspire new directions for research and climate activism. The session also featured an enriching roundtable discussion where researchers and activists explored ways to advance debate and deepen research on the climate crisis.

The past years have offered hopeful perspectives of determination within the youth climate movement, marked by persistence and a diversification of forms of action. Numerous activist groups have adopted intersectional and systemic approaches, demanding profound and socially just changes. Globally, concern about climate change and awareness of its associated injustices seem to have grown. Yet, every day, we witness the erosion of fundamental rights and safeguards in multiple countries, the criminalization of climate activism, and significant political setbacks. Pessimism resurges in this sociopolitical landscape, overshadowed by large-scale wildfires and floods. Against this backdrop, we ask ourselves: “How can we continue building a future oriented toward social justice?”

The project will remain active through its website (justfutures.pt), the publication of new outputs, and the research project “Reimagining Political Agency: Youth Voice(s) in the Climate Change Debate”, funded by the FCT (2024.02918.BD, 2024-2026). This initiative is led by PhD candidate Daniela Ferreira da Silva, under the supervision of Professors Anabela Carvalho and Maria Fernandes-Jesus.

The JustFutures team 

Date & Time: 25 March 2025, 15:00-16:30 WET (West European Time)
Online participation | Event in English
Zoom link: https://tinyurl.com/yppzkjfu

We are pleased to invite researchers, activists, and all those interested to the Closing Conference of the JustFutures project. This event marks the completion of our research journey, creating a space for critical reflection on its findings and new directions for climate justice research and action.

In a world where the impacts of climate change are deeply entangled with social and political injustices, young activists are not only navigating uncertain futures but also challenging dominant frameworks that shape how these crises are understood and addressed. This seminar will explore how youth—both within and beyond organized movements—are shaping plural, context-driven climate futures while questioning the limits of activism and institutional politics. Bringing together researchers and activists, the event will serve as both a moment of closure and a point of departure, opening space for emerging approaches to agency, political imaginaries, justice, and transformation.

Event Format:

• Project Insights: The JustFutures team will present key research findings.
• Roundtable Discussion: Researchers and activists will engage in a conversation on ways of knowing and acting on climate change amid growing polarization and unpredictability.

Speakers & Participants:

JustFutures Team
Anabela Carvalho, University of Minho
Carla Malafaia, University of Porto
Daniela Ferreira da Silva, University of Minho
Dora Rebelo, Iscte – University Institute of Lisbon
Juliana Diógenes-Lima, University of Porto
Maria Fernandes-Jesus, University of Sussex
Mehmet Ali Üzelgün, Nova University of Lisbon
Tânia R. Santos, University of Minho

Roundtable participants
Anapaula Siqueira, Iscte-University Institute of Lisbon (researcher and activist)
Hanna Morris, University of Toronto
Jo Becker, University of Vigo (researcher and militant ethnographer)
Mehmet Ali Üzelgün, Nova University of Lisbon (researcher and activist)
Mourana Monteiro (activist)
Susana Batel, Iscte-University Institute of Lisbon

Join us to reflect on our research and explore approaches that drive youth-led change.

Save the date & spread the word!

The JUSTFUTURES project is looking for young university students (fluent in Portuguese) aged between 18 and 30 to participate in participatory workshops to discuss proposals on how to amplify the voice of young people in the climate change debate.

The JUSTFUTURES project: Climate Futures and Just Transformations: Youth Political Narratives and Imaginaries has been studying the youth climate movement in Portugal since 2021. Currently, the project is in the final phase of development—organizing participatory workshops with young activists and non-activists on the political agency of youth in the context of climate change. These workshops will include various activities that foster critical thinking, political agency, collective action, and the imagination of alternative futures.

Through these workshops, the project aims to reach young people who are less involved in the climate cause but have some interest in climate change issues, to critically discuss the political agency of youth in these matters.

The workshops will take place on September 20th and 21st (Friday and Saturday, from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM) on the campus of ISCTE – University Institute of Lisbon (building 4).

The project will offer Sonae gift cards worth €50 (usable at Continente, Worten, Zippy, MO, Sportzone, Wells, Bagga, Note!, Zu, and the online store continente.pt) to those who participate in both days, along with a certificate of participation.

If you are interested in participating in the workshops, contact the project via WhatsApp (919718866) or by email at danielasilva0497@gmail.com.

A call is open for one PhD Fellowship within our research project “JUSTFUTURES – Climate Futures and Just Transformations: Narratives and Political Imaginaries of Young People” (PTDC/COM-OUT/7669/2020).

The work will be carried out at at the Centre for Research and Intervention in Education (CIIE) of FPCEUP, with local coordination of Carla Malafaia during 6 months.

Deadline is on 7th February 2024

For more information on how to apply here.

In recent years, young people have taken on a leading role in the fight against climate change, whether through protests on the streets and in schools or in the public and digital debate. In order to better understand their motivations, opinions, and visions, this forum proposes to bring together six ongoing research and intervention projects.

The meeting will enable the presentation of projects that are being developed at the University of Minho, the University of Porto, and the ISCTE-IUL regarding the involvement of young people in climate change, as well as a debate on various dimensions of common interest.

In the morning session, the forum will be organized around presentations of six research projects and their main results. In the afternoon, it is intended to discuss cross-cutting topics, such as what motivates (or discourages) young people’s involvement in the climate debate, trends in individual and collective engagement, how young people’s modes of activism are perceived in the current context, and the relationship of young people with the media regarding climate change.

This event aims not only to share conclusions from studies already conducted but also to deepen the reflection on various modes of research in a joint learning process that can contribute to citizenship development.

Students, teachers, researchers, and the general community are invited to participate in this meeting.

Participation is preferably in person, but there will also be the possibility to attend virtually.

Registration (free of charge) is recommended until June 20, 2023, through this form.

The event is organised by the following projects:

EngageforSDG – Youth Engagement with the Sustainable Development Goals: Choosing Moral Arguments from News for Use in Debate (Funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology – EXPL/COM-JOR/1534/2021)

JustFutures – Climate Futures and Just Transformations: Young People’s Narratives and Political Imaginaries (Funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology – PTDC/COM-OUT/7669/2020)

A call is open for one PhD Fellowship within our research project “JUSTFUTURES – Climate Futures and Just Transformations: Narratives and Political Imaginaries of Young People” (PTDC/COM-OUT/7669/2020).

The work will be carried out at at the Centre for Research and Intervention in Education (CIIE) of FPCEUP, with local coordination of Carla Malafaia during 18 months.

Deadline was on 12th July 2022

For more information on how to apply here.

We are accepting applications for 1 Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Centre for Psychological Research and Social Intervention (CIS) of Iscte – University Institute of Lisbon.

All details can be consulted here.

Potential candidates must have:

• A PhD in an area of social sciences and humanities (e.g., psychology; sociology, communication sciences, human geography) and obtained no more than 3 years ago.
• Experience in qualitative and participatory methodologies.
• Fluency in Portuguese and English.

Deadline: 22nd of April 2022

There is an open call for applications for a Postdoctoral Scholarship within the scope of the R&D project JUSTFUTURES – “Climate Futures and Just Transformations: Narratives and Political Imaginaries of Young People”.

The work plan will be developed at Institute of Social Sciences of the University of Minho.

Concurso encerrado a 15 de Fevereiro 2021.

More info and details on how to apply here.