1st Place Winner
Alex Moore
Popular Participatory Spaces and the Agency of Youth in Edinburgh’s Fridays for Future Movement: Sites of Radical Possibility?
This dissertation was a study of the spatialities of youth protest and the facilitative potential of popular participatory spaces for young activists’ radical political participation and agentic being. Given the constraints placed on conducting research during multiple Covid-19 lockdowns, it was fascinating to perform a participatory retroactive analysis of the Edinburgh FridaysForFuture protests that allowed me to access the lived experience of youth activism. I enjoyed undertaking research in an underexplored area of youth geographies that recognises the importance of taking to the street for the political participation of young people, particularly given their treatment as apolitical subjects in institutional spaces of environmental governance. I am passionate about the environment and it was therefore inspiring to see the radical discourses offered by youth activists in a space where they could authentically articulate their claims for climate action.
2nd Place Winner
Will Chantry
‘Built from the internet up’ Assessing citizen participation in smart cities through a case study of Quayside, Toronto.
I really enjoyed doing my dissertation on citizen participation in smart city planning. If I’m honest, before conducting this research I didn’t fully understand the importance of citizen participation in urban development. I am now acutely aware that putting citizens at the forefront of urban planning decision-making can vastly improve our cities, whether this means using smart technology or not. I hope to carry this passion for citizen participation into my sustainability consulting career, as participation constitutes an integral element of social sustainability.
3rd Place Winner
Elizabeth Cotton
Welcoming Refugees to the UK with STAR: A Geographical Approach to Understanding what Students Seek to Achieve with Volunteering with Refugees
My dissertation explored students experiences with volunteering with student action for refugees – STAR; a society in which students worked with refugees to teach them English. I myself was part of the society, which enabled an auto – ethnographic experience. The study pulled together geographical theory and empirical data to give insight into the nexus between refugees and volunteers at STAR. The study explored themes relating to social justice, volunteering and community activism. It also looked at the role emotion played for volunteers and highlighted the reciprocity between both volunteers and refugees. This was a really exciting project as I was able to write and explore a cause I really cared about. I also met some amazing people throughout the process, both volunteers and refugees attending STAR.
An enormous congratulations to our 2021 Dissertation Prize Winners 🎉 Thank you to all who entered. The standard was excellent showing the wealth of creativity taking place within participatory geography.