The American Psychiatric Association defines eco-anxiety as a chronic fear of environmental doom. But culturally, the concept is used more broadly and is driving the conversation as anxiety affects more and more B.C. youth says Rachel Malena-Chan of Eco-Anxious Stories and Next Steps.
“[It's] kind of gateway into this more nuanced conversation about climate emotions, eco-emotions," said Malena-Chan, one of the project partners and creator of the platform, which started in 2019 to help youth who are part of a growing statistic.
A 2023 study (Climate Concern and Eco-anxiety in BC Youth: Findings from the Youth Development Instrument) found that the majority of adolescents (72 per cent) in B.C. reported feeling worried about climate change and 74 per cent thought the threat should be taken more seriously. A smaller proportion reported experiencing eco-anxiety, with 45 per cent feeling nervous, anxious, or on edge due to the environment in the past two weeks of the survey.
On Dec. 3, Eco-Anxious Stories, which has helped Victoria-area youth deal with climate change anxiety and get inspired for positive change, received $50,000 in funding from Island Health’s Resilience and Safety Grant program.
Eco-Anxious Stories is not just about addressing and normalizing this anxiety, which it does through sharing personal experiences through its platform. It's also about "creating engaging opportunities to explore our messy relationships to social and ecological justice issues – including the climate crisis," the platform reads.
“We didn’t want to focus on the negatives [of climate change],” said Julia Harrison, a mental health program coordinator for Volunteer Victoria, another key project partner, in a press release. “We wanted to say okay, we’ve recognized that and we’ve done the research. Now who can we bring in to teach these youth how to harness the positive emotions surrounding it, and what can we use to tell their stories in a more positive way?”
The platform idea was developed by Kirsten Mah, a healthy communities planner with the Capital Regional District, when she noticed climate anxiety becoming a growing concern during meetings with different groups.
In the project's first stage, the founding trio visited two Victoria high schools to run storytelling workshops for nearly 100 students, most between 16-18 years old. Youth were encouraged to share their stories and emotions about climate change through writing and dialogue.
The second phase saw tours and presentations focused on local eco-oriented initiatives. These included a guided walk at Elk/Beaver Lake exploring Indigenous perspectives and a tour of Saanich's Hartland Landfill to learn about waste management, reduction and diversion.
“Eco-anxiety to me is kind of like the beginning of the story,” said Malena-Chan in the press release. “Let’s lean into those feelings and see where they take us. We don’t want to feel anxious all the time, but we do want to put our feelings into a meaningful context. Stories can help us make sense of our grief, as well as our hope and our sense of mobilization to make a difference.”
The organization is currently producing original content, creating tools and learning materials, curating and commissioning projects, developing resources and more. Information can be found at ecoanxious.ca.
