This thesis examines the climate protests in Aotearoa New Zealand between 2019 and 2021, known as School Strike 4 Climate NZ. That wave of youth-led climate activism was part of a significant global protest movement demanding climate justice. However, climate justice a contestable term. Furthermore, we know little about how young people come to learn about climate justice because political socialisation within movements is currently inadequately understood from a youth perspective. This thesis takes a constructionist perspective to draw on semi-structured interviews and focus groups with 26 young climate justice activists aged 13 – 20 and publicly available documents, including public submissions, social media posts and news media reports, to examine how young climate activists in Aotearoa think about climate justice and make sense of their own political socialisation through the strikes. The sample was predominantly female (n=24), and Pākehā (n=22).

The analysis supports the thesis argument that youth participation exemplifies a situated socio-cultural learning process where young people are both learning and generating knowledge through their participation in the climate movement. It also highlights the significance of emotions or ‘affective’ dimensions of this situated political socialisation. Young people’s initial experiences of participation can be understood as creating a youth-led community of practice, where young people are forging a collective politicised youth identity for climate justice claims-making, which centres on equity and fairness. In turn, these supportive relationships and affective learning experiences foster relational understandings of climate justice characterised by nuance, intersectionality and a language of care. The thesis argues that not only are affective dimensions are significant aspects of young people’s political socialisation, but they also contribute to strengthening relationships which in turn support climate justice learning. The thesis findings have implications for adults and teachers who support young people learning about climate justice. The research demonstrates the importance of recognising complex emotions experienced by young people in relation to climate and building supportive relationships. Adults can play a crucial role by respecting the autonomy and agency of young activists while providing mentorship and guidance through an ethic of care.