Sofia Laine

Youth research has, for decades, focused on examining current societal conditions and their potential shortcomings for young people in areas such as education, income, work, and gender equality. However, it has been less common to integrate planetary boundaries and so-called “overshoot” areas—such as biodiversity loss or climate change—into youth research. This paradigm shift is increasingly necessary, as six out of nine planetary boundaries have already been crossed, and the planet remains on track for approximately 2.7 degrees Celsius (°C) peak warming by 2100. In addition to planetary threats, Morocco faces social challenges, particularly high unemployment. Unemployment is highest among young people aged 15 to 24, reaching 25% over the past decade, nearly double the global youth unemployment rate. This article analyzes a case study we refer to as the “Gardening School” in Morocco, a country facing significant climate stress. It aims to (a) explore new methods for conducting more globally oriented youth research that is ethical and environmentally friendly and (b) examine the wellbeing of young people and their environment, as well as how to support and strengthen both. The findings of this article highlight the potential for youth research to develop new approaches, especially when conducted alongside young people and educational and sustainable environments. These environments enable younger generations to deepen their connection to and understanding of biodiversity, sustainability, and climate change, while learning to use natural resources in a sustainable and ethical manner. This approach ultimately aims to ensure a livable future for the coming generations and foster sustainable employment opportunities.

Definitions of youth work are not shared worldwide; but are instead grounded in different youth work practices (e.g. Cooper, 2018, p. 4; Cooper et al., 2024, pp. 3–5). Youth work has been described...

As the ecological crisis grows more intense, youth research must attune itself to the ongoing climate emergency marked by mass extinction, the era of pandemics and world political turmoil. How can youth research participate in finding solutions to the dilemmas involved in achieving sustainable development and the well-being of all living things and beings, and of the planet itself? This article presents a new framework for youth research: planetary youth research. It is structured in accordance with the four pillars of the ‘global ethical framework’ outlined by the Club of Rome in 1974 in its second report, Mankind at the Turning Point: 1) One must learn to identify with future generations; 2) A universal consciousness must be created; 3) Humanity’s relationship with nature should be based on harmony; and 4) A new ethic for the use of raw materials must be created. This article outlines a new framework for planetary youth research by expanding and updating these historical pillars through the application of current trends and findings in youth research and social science research.

Faced with the general period of political demobilisation since 2011, there is a need to look beyond the manifest forms of political participation and to better understand the dynamics of engagement among today’s Arab Mediterranean youth. In this article, we inquire into the life experiences of young people and, especially, explore the agentic dimensions of their apparent disengagement. What societal processes shape their negative attitudes toward engaging in public political life? What prospects are there for further politicisation of youth in the post-2011 era? In order to address these questions, we adopt a processual view of engagement, indicating that young people’s agencies are geared towards the goals of livelihood, employment, and attaining personal advancement and markers of social adulthood. These in turn represent spheres of life that may aggregate instances of felt injustices and thresholds of politicisation processes.

Este artículo examina las vías institucionales y los circuitos culturales juveniles de participación política en cinco países árabes mediterráneos: Túnez, ...

"Respectful Resistance: Young Musicians and the Unfinished Revolution in Tunisia" published on 27 Oct 2017 by Brill.