"Let us Thrive": Protecting our shared future through youth-led climate action for mental wellbeing

Background

Nigeria is one of the ten countries most at risk of climate disasters (International Rescue Committee, 2023). From floods to extreme weather variability, the impacts of a changing climate are far reaching, impacting all regions and worsening the existing fragility of the nation. Within coastal regions, heat waves, rising sea levels and flooding are experienced. In the northern region, accounts of desert encroachment and drying up of rivers have been reported, while the Southeastern region is also affected by gully erosion. These environmental problems result in multiple public health issues (1), forced migration, violence, food insecurity, loss of life, livelihood, community identity and so much more. In October 2022 (2), Nigeria experienced severe floods with up to 2.5 million people impacted and several reports of deaths, loss of farmlands and homes. Children, young people, women, the aged and people living in frontline communities who depend on the environment (3) for their livelihoods are usually the most vulnerable to climate-related hazards in Nigeria.

The dominant narrative of climate change in Nigeria remains elite and void of language that the average Nigerian can easily engage with. Although the resultant impact of the problem is felt by most people, its attribution to and awareness of climate change is still very low. Consequently, the obvious impacts of climate change on mental well-being in Nigeria have received very little attention from the government, media, civil society and research institutions. These mental health consequences include anger, hope, worry, shame, guilt, numbness and joy (4). The reasons for this include the fact that mental wellbeing discourse is not very mainstream and due to lack of funding, policy focus is usually geared on economic empowerment and adaptation in impacted communities. According to the World Health Organisation (5), 1 in every 4 Nigerians has a mental illness and given the high frequency of climate-related disasters and the data from other global regions on the links between experiences of climate disasters and mental wellbeing impacts, it is safe to assume that climate impacts are triggers for mental stress in Nigeria (See note 1). It is vital to collect data to understand the true nature and prevalence of climate-related mental health impacts in Nigeria. In particular, young people make up over 70% of the Nigerian population (See note 2). Young people are at a life stage where most mental wellbeing issues start, and will be the generation inheriting the climate crisis, and are therefore a key population of interest when it comes to climate change and environmental issues. In 2022, SustyVibes - a youth-led organisation - conducted a survey to assess the prevalence and level of awareness of climate change and mental wellbeing issues among Nigerian youths. The results of the survey revealed that 66.5% of participants said they could relate to experiencing symptoms of eco-anxiety which include anxiety for the future, depression, hopelessness and guilt, concern for allergies due to constant soot falls, anger and fear of the unknown. On the items of factors that trigger eco-anxiety among participants, 68.1% reported “Thinking about the future” and 37% reported “Lived experience with climate change and environmental degradation.” 46% of participants reported that they need help coping with eco-anxiety, further demonstrating the need for interventions that can facilitate such support.

Introduction to The Eco-anxiety Africa Project (TEAP) by SustyVibes

SustyVibes, a community driven by young individuals (aged 18 to 35) committed to promoting sustainable lifestyles, launched The Eco-anxiety Africa Project (TEAP) in 2022. TEAP defines Eco-Anxiety as relating to emotions individuals feel and experience as a result of direct or indirect impacts of climate change or other environmental related problems around us. These emotions can include anger, hope, worry, shame, guilt, numbness and joy. The project aims to address the issue of lack of attention and knowledge of the intersection between mental wellbeing and climate change, which has a significant impact on young people in Nigeria.

TEAP recognizes that African communities face numerous challenges, such as environmental degradation, biodiversity loss, pollution, and other social issues worsened by climate events. In response, it aims to address the unique eco-anxiety that is prevalent among Africans. For Africans, this eco-anxiety is shaped by unique historical and socio-economic contexts. Centuries of colonialism, extractive industries, and unequal global power dynamics have influenced how environmental concerns manifest in African communities.

TEAP addresses this by providing support and fostering dialogue to promote mental wellbeing and resilience in the face of climate challenges. The core justification for TEAP is to provide support for Africans by Africans, that is, support that is founded on contextual research and practices that are relatable and actionable for our people. TEAP has successfully implemented numerous projects and campaigns that align with its mission. Particular projects that stand out include TEAP’s Anchor project. Anchor aims to fill the knowledge gap regarding climate impact management among mental health professionals, enabling them to support vulnerable individuals in their communities better. Other projects include TEAP’s West African Climate Change and Mental Health Research, where, in partnership with the University of Nottingham, TEAP investigated how exposure to the impacts of climate change affects the mental well-being of people living in five West African countries through semi-structured interviews. The Eco-anxiety Survey Report is another research-based report conducted by TEAP which investigated eco-anxiety amongst Nigerians living in Nigeria. The findings, which revealed 66.5% of participants experience eco-anxiety, support the necessity for interventions such as those by TEAP in Nigeria.

TEAP also creates advocacy events such as the SusTEAParty which are celebrations that bring Nigerians together to have healthy conversations around environmental-related emotions, climate mental wellbeing, and sustainability issues. ZenCafe, another advocacy event by TEAP, is a conversation-styled gathering designed to create an open, inclusive and exploratory space for people to come together as a community to discuss emotions that arise for them, some helpful tips to navigate them, and how to transform fear and worry into action and hope. TEAP also created the #ClimateEldersNG campaign, a 12-month storytelling campaign that is focused on sharing the wisdom of Nigerian environmental change makers and activists aged 50 and above with young Nigerians. In doing so, the campaign hopes to equip the younger generation with the mental resilience and effective actions needed to tackle the challenges of climate change.

TEAP is also part of the year-long Connecting Climate Minds (CCM) global research initiative aimed at exploring the intersection of climate change and mental wellbeing. SustyVibes is a member of the Lived Experience Working Group (LEWG) in the CCM project. SustyVibes hosted three youth-led dialogues that provided a safe space for understanding and validating the climate and mental wellbeing impacts on young people. Our outputs from these dialogues include a Research and Action Agenda for Young People and a Youth Declaration.

Lessons Learned

TEAP encounters multiple challenges in developing innovative and effective projects in the emerging field of climate change and mental health. Firstly, obtaining funding can be a significant obstacle that affects the quality and duration of the projects undertaken by TEAP. Secondly, making mental health comprehensible to young people poses another challenge, especially because mental health as a topic can be stigmatised or difficult for young individuals to express. Through TEAP’s facilitation of the ZenCafe project, it became evident that the use of storytelling, contextual language, and shared vulnerability are effective ways in making climate and wellbeing relatable.

The feedback from TEAP’s projects indicates mental health professionals and young people are gradually starting to understand the intersection between mental health and climate change. This feedback has been collated through surveys TEAP has at the end of its sessions and testimonials from participants. TEAP’s advocacy work has also created safe spaces for young people to come together in community, share their environmental-related emotions and take action. Though the topic of climate change and mental wellbeing may seem complex, the implementation of such projects - with funding and staff support - is not difficult. TEAP’s programmes are possible through youth-led facilitation and organising and this can be adopted on local and national levels.

Similarly, research to truly understand the impact of climate events on the mental wellbeing of young people can also be facilitated and carried out at local and national levels by empowering young researchers to lead. What both projects in research and interventions show is that there are foundational requirements for the projects to run smoothly at every level.

As stated earlier, these requirements involve providing adequate funding to ensure the longevity and effectiveness of the interventions. It is also important to ensure that there is enough staff to support interventions and projects. If the focus is on young people, then the majority of the staff should be young people to ensure that their needs are centred. This can be achieved through a flexible research approach and effective communication through concept notes and guidance documents. Young people are more likely to participate in research when they feel supported, heard, included, and fairly compensated for their time.

In research projects, it is crucial to avoid tokenism or unethical practices where young people's stories are included without their consent or knowledge of how their stories will be used. Instead, best practice is…

Since TEAP’s practices adopt a bottom-up approach, the projects and initiatives that are carried out can be adopted by other communities and countries. The work is dependent on resources, youth-led action and sustainable approaches rather than, for example, certain skill sets that can only be obtained by senior leaders. Other countries and communities can replicate TEAP’s practices by setting out the intention of their projects, knowing how they will empower and gather youth-support and what is essential to sustain this.

Recommendations

Recommendations for the Nigeria government that can also be adopted by other countries in the Global South:

It is crucial to normalize conversations about mental wellbeing by embedding it into school curricula, books and workplace policy. This enables young people to be able to identify their emotions, understand where they may stem from, and identify when they are becoming overwhelmed or experiencing symptoms of a mental wellbeing challenge, meaning that support can be given earlier.Through youth-led dialogues, young people have shared that recreational activities and peer support are coping mechanisms which work well for them. TEAP recommends financing more youth clubs and after-school recreational activities (music, sport, games) that allow young people to cope with climate events and receive support from one another.Financial initiatives and resources should be accessible for communities hoping to facilitate projects/interventions that centre on the intersection of climate change and mental wellbeing. Financial support enables communities to have the autonomy to empower one another to take climate action in ways that support mental wellbeing and improve the situation for people experiencing climate-related mental wellbeing challenges.

For community-based organisations:

Prioritize the empowerment of young people, and enable them to support or lead initiatives aimed at addressing the intersection between climate change and mental wellbeing issues. Considering that changing weather patterns and climate events will have a significant impact on young people’s future, it is crucial their needs are taken into account.

Recommendations for research and policy:

Research on the intersection of climate change and mental health must ensure that it includes the voices, lived experiences and needs of communities in the Global South who continue to be first impacted by climate change. This means ensuring that communities in the Global South are spearheading research and that research moves beyond research papers and academic circles into governmental policies that result in tangible changes.

References

1. Pona, H. T., Xiaoli, D., Ayantobo, O. O., & Narh Daniel Tetteh (2021). Environmental health situation in Nigeria: current status and future needs. Heliyon, 7(3), e06330. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e06330

2. Nigeria Flood Impact, Recovery and Mitigation Assessment Report 2022-2023. (n.d.). Reports | National Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved February 22, 2024, from https://nigerianstat.gov.ng/elibrary/read/1241417

3. Including farmers, Fisher people and medicinal herbalists

4. Bharadwaj, R., Okorie, S., Ndhlovu, C., Sibakwe, C., Mtaya, A., Olude, A., Lekwa, H., Mhone, T., Qureshi, F., Tshipa, S., Bartlett, C., Doe, S., Mobolaji, A., Ogar, M., Alih, H., Ajibola, M., Yee, M., McNamara, K., Pratheepa, C., Rengalakhmi, R., Tower, A., Plano, R., El Hamid Sherief, A. and Shija, F. Bharadwaj, R. (eds) and Mitchell, T. (eds) (2023). Living in the shadow of loss and damage: uncovering non-economic impacts. IIED, London.

5. WHO World Mental Health (WMH) Survey Initiative.

Written by

SustyVibes in Nigeria

Notes

In 2018, a survey conducted in Kaduna, a state in Northern Nigeria by the United Nations Environmental Program and Federal University of Technology, Minna found that 84.1% of the participants had experienced at least one major environmental hazard.Nigeria’s population is approximately 209.6 million people in 2021 - National Bureau of Statistics.