Project Description:
The project aims to support young people in committing to sustainable lifestyles. An ongoing citizen science research in which young researchers use qualitative methods and participatory video-making to find out about problems and solutions in relation to food production and consumption will be upscaled to ensure more social impact on their work. Led by the Artemisszio Foundation, providing scientific mentorship to its partners, the project links five youth organisations working directly with people of different origins and economic and cultural backgrounds. In each organisation, young people – helped by youth workers trained by Artemisszio – define their specific research topics and questions. The research groups will meet once physically to share their results, youth workers will have a reflection meeting, case studies and a guidebook will be written, a multiplier event and an online sharing event will be organized to increase the visibility of this collective work.
Project Type: Kick Starting Grant
Theme: Sustainable Lifestyles, Food
Mentor:Jacqueline Goldin
Foodies: Empowering Young Citizen Scientists for a Sustainable Future
Diana Szántó
Teachers often agree that while young people today are deeply concerned about the environment, they can feel overwhelmed by negative messages that suggest the problems are too vast to tackle. We aim to change this narrative. How can we capture the interest of young people? How can we make them feel that they are part of the solution? What could be more ordinary, yet so profoundly impactful, as food?
That’s where Foodies comes in—a project designed to engage young people around the concept of sustainable food consumption.
At Foodies, we empower young participants to take an active role in producing knowledge by teaching them how to become researchers. We also introduce them to participatory video-making—an engaging and dynamic method that keeps their enthusiasm high. Through this process, these young learners don’t just gain insight into food systems; they realise their collective potential to effect change.
As one of our participants explained:
”"We’ve learned that we can think about a lot of things, and together, we can do a lot of things. It’s possible to research everything we’re curious about."
Our organisation, Artemisszió, designed this project and provides pedagogical support to five diverse partner organizations working with different groups of young people. In Budapest, we collaborate with Mira Ház (our intercultural community) and Engame Academy, a talent development center. In Debrecen, we work with two youth associations, and in Szeged, we partner with an alternative school.
This approach ensures that our citizen researcher team is wonderfully diverse. It includes young people from both urban and rural areas, Hungarians and migrants, children from low-income families as well as the middle class, and members of the Roma community.
Under the guidance of dedicated youth workers, these citizen science teams brainstormed topics related to food. After identifying their research focus, they ventured out to collect data, using participatory video-making to document their findings. The young researchers interviewed people, made observations, and conducted background research—all with a focus on food consumption.
Although the groups are geographically dispersed and lack face-to-face interaction, their work converged on similar themes, such as food waste and packaging. Some teams explored community gardens, while others investigated school canteens. The common thread that ties them together is their shared focus on food and its responsible production and consumption.
The outcome of their efforts is a series of short videos capturing both the research process and the young people’s findings. These videos, along with additional data about sustainable food consumption practices, will be made available on an open online platform. Visitors to the platform will also find detailed guidelines on video-making, conducting interviews, and gathering information about food systems. In short, the platform will serve as an educational hub, teaching people about the importance of food and how sustainable consumption can contribute to a better future for both people and the planet.
The importance of the work that our citizen scientists are doing is epitomized by the following message:
”"Politicians should pay more attention to how food is distributed because our environment is negatively impacted by the incredible waste happening in our world."
This statement highlights the many ways food systems contribute not only to environmental degradation but also to social and health challenges.
Our participation in the Impetus Accelerator program has provided us with a clear framework for this work and connected us to a network of like-minded projects led by inspiring people who share a citizen science approach. The exchange of ideas and knowledge has been invaluable, sparking new collaborations and strengthening our methodologies.
Looking ahead, we’re already brainstorming with our partners about the future—how we can build on our current framework to explore new topics. At Artemisszió, we’re also reflecting on how this project, combined with the support of the Impetus Accelerator program, can help create lasting connections between the Global North and Global South. Together, we aim to work toward a more sustainable future for all.
Foodies
Note: we have consent note in Hungarian language from the care takers of all the young citizen researchers allowing us to use pictures taken during the sessions for promoting the project.
