BETWEEN THE FUTURE AND PRESENT: HOW ACTIVISTS IN THE YOUTH CLIMATE STRIKE EXPERIENCE EVERYDAY LIFE
BETWEEN THE FUTURE AND PRESENT: HOW ACTIVISTS IN THE YOUTH CLIMATE STRIKE EXPERIENCE EVERYDAY LIFE

Summary/Abstract: In the face of the escalating climate crisis, it is becoming increasingly important to understand not only young activists' strategies of action but also their imagined futures and how these visions shape their everyday lives. This article draws on the concept of imagined futures (Cuzzocrea & Mandich, 2015) to analyze how young people affiliated with the Youth Climate Strike (Młodzieżowy Strajk Klimatyczny, MSK) in Poland envision the future—and how these imaginaries influence their emotions, decisions, and ways in which they are involved. Based on qualitative analysis, the study reveals that visions of the future—both dystopian and utopian—strongly affect young people's mental well-being and their sense of significance, agency, and belonging. For some, hope for systemic transformation translates into concrete life choices and daily practices: pursuing education, engaging in grassroots initiatives, anti-consumption, or peer-led climate awareness-raising. Others struggle with a paralyzing absence of future imaginaries, leading to existential stagnation, burnout, and difficulties in long-term planning. The article shows that the future is not only a fictional line but a living category—carved out in everyday existence through fear, fatigue, hope, and seeking of meaning. In this critique, imagined futures function as emotionally and politically resonant constructs that shape daily practices and self-understanding, beyond mere protest rhetoric.

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