Hogeschool Utrecht Honours Programme: Exploring Climate Activism Through Debate
On May 27th, 2025, nine students from the University of Applied Sciences Utrecht (Hogeschool Utrecht) gathered for a Green Debate workshop as part of their Honours programme. The event was organized under the Erasmus+ EU co-funded project Empowering Youthwork for the Green Debate, which uses debate as a tool to equip young people with the skills and knowledge to tackle climate challenges.
The students were asked to select one of three motions:
- Climate refugees should be given the same rights as political refugees.
- Climate activists should disrupt traffic and the economy more radically.
- Climate activists should focus entirely on government and corporate policies, rather than consumer behaviour.
They chose the third motion and debated it in a House of Lords-style format. This structure required each side to deliver timed speeches, respond to interjections, and conclude with clear partisan summaries. The debate encouraged deep engagement with the strategic priorities of climate activism, and students explored where responsibility should lie: with governments, corporations, or consumers.
The workshop highlighted how debate can transform complex political and environmental issues into accessible exercises in critical thinking. By connecting academic study with the urgent questions of climate policy, the event advanced the project’s mission of empowering young people to think critically, communicate persuasively, and engage meaningfully in the green transition.
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