Engagerade ungdomar : en hållbar energistrategi

Sammanfattning: The consumption and energy use in today's society contributes to the on-going climate change that creates a debt of life quality for future generations (www, DN, 2007, a). The resources that are used by humans exceed by far what is sustainable (www, Regeringen, 2007, a). The purpose of this paper is to examine how a message about energy conservation should be designed to reach youths. This will be attempted by showing their thoughts on energy and environmental issues and also what it would take for them to get more involved in these issues. The views of the youths are gained by a number of focus group-interviews, which where carried out in the fall of 2007, with kids in the ages 12 to 19. Apart from these interviews, interviews where also conducted with representatives from different youth organisations in Sweden, which gave their views on how to get a message across to kids. Some further views were gained by interviews with academic researchers in the fields of communication and pedagogic. By using theories from the fields of marketing, communication and psychology, information was gained to determine which factors are key to get an intrest from the youths in changing their behaviour. The conclusions drawn in this paper, on how to design a project aiming towards youths addressing energy issues, are that it should be adapted to suit the needs and abilities of the target group. Five key factors influence the success of reaching the kids. The first factor is the content of the message conveyed, which is the basis for creating a dialog with the kids. The information must be perceived as meaningful and put in relation to something concrete and fun, in order for the kids to be interested in the issue. The second factor is that the message should be delivered through the channels that kids use. The third factor is to use role models. The great amount of information, often contradictory, in today's society makes the kids confused on how to act. Role models can by their good example lead the way and show the kids that it is possible to be energy conscious. The fourth factor is to have a supportive social environment around the kids, so that they can use what they learn. For this reason a project should aim their resources at reaching the kids in school. In school they have a possibility to get continuous support and opportunities to use what they have learned. The fifth factor is giving the kids incentives to act. The fundamental objective for a project must be to convey the message in a way so that the kids feel that they are able to influence and that there is an environment around them that listens and takes their opinions seriously.