Project addressing eco-anxiety in Victoria’s youth receives $50K boost – Victoria News
Dec 05, 2024
Eco-Anxious Stories and Next Steps received funding from an Island Health grant program
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.
