Young People in the Global South: Voice, agency and citizenship

Abstract:

The introduction to this volume establishes a conceptual framework for understanding the voice, agency and citizenship of adolescents and young people in the Global South. It reflects upon key knowledge and policy gaps in relation to young women and girls and younger adolescents’ citizenship, and how to understand the nuances of voice and agency in contexts of inequality, marginalisation and precarity. Of particular emphasis is how voice and agency are expressed at different levels and in different spaces by young people, particularly those who are marginalised on the basis of gender and/or sexual identity, age, disability, citizenship status or geographical location. The conceptual framework presented here draws on intersectional approaches, the notion of collective agency, and the concept of ‘everyday politics’ to present a new lens on adolescent and young people’s voice, agency and citizenship in the Global South.

Authors: Kate Pincock, Nicola Jones and Lorraine van Blerk

A variety of methodological designs and tools can be used for exploring, measuring and understanding adolescent and young people’s voice and agency in relation to citizenship and political participation. This introduction provides an overview of key approaches, including quantitative, longitudinal, qualitative and participatory research. It also explores some of the conceptual, practical, methodological and ethical considerations in the design and undertaking of research in this field, especially in the context of research with younger adolescents. As pieces in this section of the book illustrate, research can be an important means for expanding agency as well as measuring it, but such research is resource-intensive, requiring a deep and nuanced understanding of local context and of adolescent and young people’s relationships.

Author:  Kara Hunersen 

Abstract:

Quality gender- and age-disaggregated and internationally comparable data on adolescents’ voice and agency are key to generating robust evidence about their evolving capabilities which can inform policy and practice. However, efforts to measure and evaluate adolescent voice and agency remain fledgling. This case study evaluates existing longitudinal and mixed-methods approaches for measuring adolescent voice and agency. It identifies key knowledge gaps, in particular about the most marginalised adolescents, and suggests ways that they might be addressed by leveraging mixed-methods and participatory approaches.

Authors: Eric Neumeister, Nicola Jones, Silvia Guglielmi

Abstract:

This case study discusses findings on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on very young adolescents’ (aged 10–14) voice and agency across urban poor communities in eight countries. Evidence is presented from the Global Early Adolescent Study, a longitudinal mixed-methods study that explores how gender norms impact the health and well-being of very young adolescents as they grow up. The empowerment measures were created through qualitative formative research and designed to capture the unique experiences of this developmental phase. The structure of the study also allows for nuanced interpretations of data about adolescents’ experiences across different contexts. Findings indicate that for younger adolescents, being able to exercise voice and agency requires supportive relationships, particularly with caregivers. Key impacts of policies to contain the pandemic on voice and agency included increased isolation of adolescents from many of these relationships, as well as fewer avenues and opportunities for decision-making, especially for girls.

Authors: Kara Hunersen, Mengmeng Li

Abstract:

In recent years, Latin American countries have been at the forefront of initiatives for the political and social participation of children since children and young people have been demanding more space in the public sphere. Within Chile, where the question of how to institutionalise and legislate for the rights of children and adolescents has been an important part of democratic shifts in the last few decades, there is a growing debate on how young people’s participation can be fostered in policy processes. Drawing on evidence from participatory research exploring the experience of participatory policy-making with children, adolescents, and practitioners using the Mosaic approach, this case study reflects upon the structural power differentials which can forestall efforts to include young people in policy-making processes in Chile – even when adult practitioners are committed to their participation in principle.

Author: Paulina Jara-Osorio

Abstract:

This chapter explores the author's experiences of the evolving roles and responsibilities of being street-connected peer researchers and advocates in communities in Kolkata before and during the Covid-19 pandemic. They have developed a connectivity to the streets, as well as to other street-connected young people. Their training in the project therefore meant that they were already prepared for what was needed for CINI to understand local community needs and target support to where it was needed. Discussing these transformations helped us to reflect on their work and the changes that the authors have contributed to in their communities. Their training and the activities they facilitated helped to further enhance their skills. Through Ward Level Child Protection Committee meetings, they learnt who is responsible for different services and how to clearly communicate with them about the issues faced by their communities.

Authors: Puja, Bedh Priyanka, Parveen Birju, Sushma Manisha, Preity Sahil, Asha Muskaan, Sonu Anita, Rishika Disha, Ishika Shama, Tanisha Avinash, Divya Sanjana, Shibani Karuna, Shibani Suman, Durga Swapna, Anju Manju, Swati Shalu

Abstract:

At the age of 12, the author was introduced to the MJPOP group where children and adolescents get together to discuss and seek ways to address the problems that blight our community. There were years of working together, attending trainings and carrying out field activities, such as rallies and debates. In order to carry out our research, the researchers, aged 13–17, were trained on topics related to research, such as design, methods, ethics and analysis. The child-led research methodology was very helpful for engaging with others and building confidence amongst the researchers. It also gave us a space for peer interaction and amusement. It is essential to listen to what children and adolescents have to say. It was crucial for our personal growth, self-esteem and to bury stigmas. This research strengthened our activism sentiment and made us even stronger, as was the goal.

Author: Carlos Henrique Lemos

Abstract:

Young people (aged 10–19 years) make up over 23% of Sierra Leone’s population. Many live in poverties and have inadequate access to health, education and other basic services. In Koribondo village, teenagers drop out of school because some parents cannot afford to pay for school supplies and food. Others drop out due to child labour, early marriage or teen pregnancy. World Vision has been working with our community to tackle the problems affecting children and adolescents. Through a community workshop, the authors presented why they think understanding teen pregnancy is important and why they wanted to do the research ourselves. During the workshop, the community members agreed they would ensure our security. They also had daily meetings with World Vision staff to talk about what happened and how they felt during the interviews.

Authors: Mesalie Gbenday, Salamatu Tajawai

Abstract: 

Sara is a 19-year-old adolescent girl from the Syrian refugee community in Jordan. She joined the Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence Jordan participatory research group for married girls in 2019. She has two young children. The group has been meeting regularly for more than four years, engaging in thematic discussions and participatory photography. During Covid the authors used an online app – it was their communication channel, they used it for either camera and sound, or just using sound. And they even spoke with girls from other countries (Lebanon). They gain knowledge, they express their opinions, they can express their opinion in the sessions but they are unable to do that outside. They learn more, they understand subjects further, they take new ideas about the community… When you tell us stories about girls who are married young, they didn’t know the risks before.

Author:Sarah Al Heiwidi

Abstract:

This introductory section focuses on the concepts of voice and agency and how young people’s participation can be understood in relation to them. It explores how we might reimagine ‘agency’, especially for adolescents who face marginalisation on the basis of gender and other social identities, and the different spaces and scales in which adolescents exercise agency. It also considers how an intersectional lens can nuance understanding of the different expressions and exercises of agency by adolescents. This discussion sets the scene and provides context for the case studies that feature in this section of the volume, which range from a reflection on young people’s involvement in a children’s parliament in the Democratic Republic of Congo to local activism by adolescents in a favela in Brazil to improve their community.

Authors: Ruth Edmonds, Su Lyn Corcoran, Tigist Grieve

Abstract:

Despite Brazil ratifying the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in 1990, children and young people today still experience discrimination, stigmatisation and social exclusion, especially those living in poverty or who are otherwise vulnerable. Drawing on empirical evidence from northeast Brazil, this article discusses how social identities and inequalities intersect and affect children and young people’s right to participate within contexts of generational difference and power disparities. Within this landscape, power, voice and agency in relation to young people’s participation and the intersection between multifaceted social identities and complex environments are explored.

Author:

Patricio Cuevas-Parra

Abstract:

Intergenerational relationships play a key role in enabling or constraining adolescents’ voice and agency. The reproduction or disruption of social order is also inextricably linked to historical and sociopolitical dynamics in a given context. However, in the Global South, there has been limited investigation of the links between intergenerational relationships and young people’s participation. Drawing on research with both older and younger generations, this case study examines tensions around evolving interpretations of ‘children’s rights’ in rural Sierra Leone.

Author:

Elena Samonova

Abstract:

Criminalisation of homosexuality and societal stigma limit the opportunities of individuals with diverse sexual orientations in Bangladesh to exercise voice and agency and participate fully in society. Based on qualitative research with young lesbian, gay and bisexual people in Bangladesh, this case study explores how living within a conservative political and social context, where homosexual people and their allies have been the targets of violence, shapes the ways and spaces through which they can express their voice and agency safely. The case study emphasises the importance of relationships and interpersonal connections in creating support for the community and facilitating opportunities for agency and active participation. Empathy, understanding and willingness are crucial to find common ground and foster a more inclusive society. Strategic efforts to enhance visibility and recognition are needed to achieve these goals.

Authors: Farhana Alam, Sabina Faiz Rashid

Abstract:

Jason, aged 17, a member of the Children’s Parliament in his town in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He is also part of the World Vision’s Young Leaders for Ending Violence against Children project, and he have been advocating for children’s rights and the well-being of children since 2016. Joining the Children’s Parliament was the first step to ensuring he was able to participate in decision-making and contribute his thoughts to the debate around children’s rights. Last year, during strong rebel pressure on the city, the schools remained temporarily closed and the war put us in inhuman conditions. The most beautiful decisions relating to children are those taken with them and adopted by adults after letting children explain what they think.

Author: Jason Katya Muhiwa

Abstract: 

Leaders of the many global development agendas have long recognised the power and capacities of young people to lead positive social transformations. Although the authors have witnessed a quantitative increase in youth engagement opportunities, these rarely provide access to decision-making power. Although this is a barrier, it also presents a unique opportunity to enact a more thoughtful and intergenerational co-leadership with young people to transform these promises into reality. They continue to access free or poorly paid labour in the name of 'exposure' and create more cohorts of young people battling burnout when our skills, energy and creativity can otherwise be supported to accelerate progress towards development efforts. It is empowering to see more young people holding spaces at key global policy and advocacy platforms with loud demands and bright recommendations. A word of caution against celebrating the mere presence of young people as progress, as it can overshadow the urgent issues.

Author:

Pooja Singh

Abstract:

When you are poor, you have limited power to make choices about your own body. Most decisions are made for you by either culture/traditions or the government. For adolescents, their right to bodily autonomy has been severely constrained, leaving them with no agency, resources, knowledge or skills to protect themselves. Along the Lake regions, fishing is the main source of livelihood. Many families survive on fishing, as a source of food and income they use to cover basic expenses such as schooling costs. Fishers are exposed to risks such as HIV and alcoholism; and due to limited financial literacy, many are unable to educate their daughters on ways of accessing better livelihood opportunities from the little fishing earnings. The patriarchal culture that underlies the widespread jaboya tradition continues to rob girls and women of their agency and voice.

Author: Evelyn Odhiambo

Abstract:

‘Amal’ is from Jerash Palestinian refugee camp in Jordan, one of the most socially deprived camps in the country, as the refugees have no citizenship identification due to their family origins from Gaza. In this chapter, she highlights that only further education offers her the potential to interact with peers. Otherwise, for older adolescent girls like herself, the only other legitimate social outlet is religious education classes, which she struggled with due to her impairment. Even in the case of online participation, she only feels comfortable posting anonymously. More girls can also take decisions on marriage. Previously it was forceful, but now they consider the opinion of the girl. She is a public figure on social media. She shares religious advice and general advice.

Author: Sarah Al Heiwidi

Abstract:

The introductory chapter explores the different opportunities and means for civic engagement that are drawn upon by adolescents and young people across the Global South to express themselves on issues that affect them, emphasising the diversity of expressions of ‘citizenship’ that these constitute. A central concern is the meaning and practice of ‘citizenship’ in contexts of high youth unemployment and political instability, and where age and gender-related social norms further marginalise adolescent and young people’s agency and voice within traditional civic spaces. Proposing a reconceptualisation of ‘citizenship’, the introduction draws attention to the political imagination of young people, which is often in tension with policy narratives and approaches to adolescent and young people’s civic engagement, but which is central to understanding citizenship practices under conditions of precarity and marginality.

Author: Luisa Enria

Abstract:

Examining experiences of street youth in Accra, Ghana, this chapter explores novel political participation whereby street youth engage in national elections by bodypainting in political colours and performing as human billboards for financial gain. We ask if these embodied performances are symbolic of disempowerment or indicative of a street citizenship status, as street youth disrupt the norms of political engagement and use their agency as street citizens, rather than formal citizens, to perform political engagement for their own economic gain. We conclude that this performance of citizenship is a paradox; regardless of their formal disenfranchisement, street youth are affective citizens who engage in the political landscape in novel but valid ways.

Authors: Janine Hunter, Lorraine van Blerk, Wayne Shand, Richey O. Lamptey

Abstract:

In this case study, gendered livelihood strategies by rural migrant adolescents and young people in urban Ethiopia are conceptualised as possible ‘alternative citizenships’ where people remain far from institutional politics. Poverty and marginality shape young people’s future imaginaries and the formation of social and political identities over time. Through everyday acts of resistance, migrant youth become urban within and between the gendered spaces of informal self-employment they occupy, and through visualisations of a desired future that drives their individual and collective economic strategies and aspirations of a better life. This case study shows how everyday livelihood practices can become sites of citizenship formation under conditions characterised by structural marginalisation and deep-seated gender inequalities.

Author: Elizabeth Dessie

Abstract:

The Qeerroo youth movement has been an important political actor over the past 20 years in Ethiopia and played a key role in regime change in 2018. However, its position in relation to institutional politics has become more complex in recent years, with consequences for the possibilities offered by the movement as a space for young people to exercise voice and agency. This case study considers the temporality of youth movements such as the Qeerroo, and particularly the challenges that youth movements face in co-optation and manipulation by institutional political actors as wider conditions for participation shift. Countering the assumption that youth movements may be more inclusive and progressive, findings also suggest that gender inequalities constrain opportunities for participation in Qeerroo activities.

Authors: Nicola Jones, Kate Pincock, Workneh Yadete

Abstract:

India’s capital, Delhi, has skyscrapers, bungalows and unauthorised bastis/slums. The author live in one such basti known as Gandhi camp situated near popular Okhla mandi (mandi means a wholesale vegetable and fruit market). In this basti, many families are daily wage labourers and their livelihood is fully dependent on the mandi. The children’s cooperatives programme run by Butterflies is close to my heart as it has seen us as active agents rather than objects. Every aspect of this programme gives an opportunity to children and adolescents to assess their needs, devise solutions, and shape strategies and carry them out. When Covid-19 first appeared, he could use the cooperative approach to help families in dire need. Covid-19 has robbed families of their livelihood and daily wages, even his family was one of them. All were worried about where their next meal would come from.

Author: Samiya Zarif

Abstract:

Tawen Musa and he is a Zambian political activist and the current Executive Director of a youth organisation called Save a Dream Zambia, which champions education, governance and life skills amongst young people. Young people have always been at the heart of political change in Zambia. At the age of 24, our first President Kenneth Kaunda was a freedom fighter at the forefront of the struggle for Zambian independence. Something which makes us optimistic about the future is that in general we are seeing good community support for youth politics. This is somewhat surprising given that politics is often seen as a ruthless, violent, dead-end game in Zambia. In Zambian politics, women are undermined and insulted, often labelled as prostitutes and told they should be at home cooking and serving men, not standing up to represent their communities.

Author: Tawen Musa

Abstract:

In this introduction, the concept of citizenship ‘beyond borders’ is used to reflect on the participation, voice and agency of adolescents and young people in ways that transcend and challenge traditional notions of citizenship, particularly in relation to the role of the state: migration, online participation, climate activism and counter-politics. This offers a framework for reading chapters in this section of the book, which explore how adolescents and young people in the Global South exercise voice and agency through ways of ‘being political’ that explicitly decentre the state and formal, traditional expressions of civic participation such as voting and joining parties. A key observation is that even through alternative modes of participation, gender and age norms often reinforce patterns of inclusion and exclusion that are central to institutional politics – problematising the avenues which exist for ‘citizenship’ beyond borders.

Authors: Kate Pincock, Roberta Dumitriu

Abstract:

Adolescents and young people growing up in Palestine are regularly confronted with political and psychological violence and severe constraints on their mobility. Drawing on participatory and mixed-methods research undertaken with adolescents in Gaza, Palestine, this case study reflects upon the realities of everyday participation opportunities for adolescents. The ability of young people to safely move around and access different spaces is mediated by structural violence and material poverty. These constraints are in turn shaped by gender inequalities, with social restrictions on their freedom further limiting their opportunities to participate in public life. Adolescent girls face greater social constraints than boys and have very limited access to free movement and participation. Moreover, services available to promote adolescents’ participation are limited, short-term and are usually aid-dependent. Programmes should not only focus on meeting Gazans’ urgent humanitarian needs, but also, they should facilitate adolescents’ rights to participation.

Authors: Bassam Abu Hamad, Riyad Diab, Amal Abu Nemer

Abstract:

Pointing to the role of the internet in overcoming spatial political boundaries, this case study critically examines the possibilities offered by online spaces for adolescent girls in Bangladesh to engage in activism around issues that concern them. Drawing on qualitative findings from research with adolescents about their participation in movements to protest growing rates of gender-based violence, poor road safety, and sexual harassment, the case study finds that whilst boys were able to mobilise both in real life and online, due to restrictions on mobility, girls were only able to participate online – with only girls from higher socioeconomic backgrounds having the access to technology that enabled this.

Authors: Pragyna Mahpara, Sahida Islam Khondaker, Taslima Aktar

Abstract:

Climate action has recently gained traction as a matter of pressing importance among world leaders. The discourse is extensive, with many conferences and discussions occurring around the world. However, a key piece missing from this discourse is the perspective of young people. Although most of the author's experiences as a climate youth leader have been negative, he have found positive spaces that have allowed him to feel heard. Youth groups such as SAUTI-Youth (Sustainable Accountability Uniting Tanzanian and Irish Youth) have provided ample opportunities for me to contribute to change in his local area. SAUTI trained us in the Citizen Voice and Action model, whereby communities are encouraged to hold their local authorities accountable. Climate change is real, it’s bad, it’s our fault, but we should do something.

Authors: Michelle Chiperi Aivazova, James Mhina, Sarah McIvor

Abstract:

Aous is 18-year-old Palestinian refugee living in a refugee camp, in Lebanon. He first got involved with the Fatah movement through his scouting group when he was around seven or eight years old. He used to hold a flag and go with the other scouts to protests about the Palestinian cause and the status of Palestinians in Lebanon, wearing a blue shirt that they gave him. In the camp, there are many problems. Thieves and drugs make it unsafe for everyone. This motivated me to guard the camp against such things, especially since there are children here whose lives are affected. For example, there was a time when we had to kick someone out of the camp because he used to sell drugs to very young children. The number of robberies has increased since the Lebanese economic crisis because of the impact on the currency.

Author: Sally Youssef

Against the backdrop of historical tensions between Ethiopia’s Oromo and Somali ethnic groups, clashes along a shared 1,400-kilometre regional boundary spiralled into mass killings and displacements in late 2017 and 2018. By mid-2018, more than a million people had been displaced from their homes. As well as inter-ethnic animosities, the conflict involved the regional administrations and security forces of both Oromia and Somali regional states. As part of the Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence (GAGE) longitudinal research study in Ethiopia, GAGE has gathered data from young people affected by this forced displacement to better understand the experiences and perspectives of young people in these communities. Fatima1is a 12-year-old adolescent girl from a Somali family who had been living inOromo region, but who were displaced as a result of the violence, and have been living in a camp for internally displaced persons in Dire Dawa city administration.

Author: ‘Fatima’

Abstract:

This section of the book explores a range of ways in which policies and programming seek to promote young people’s voice, agency and participation in relation to politics and citizenship. Various global policies have been implemented to support young people’s right to participation, yet the extent to which those policies have been operationalised at a national level is uneven and complex. This introduction focuses on approaches which have been adopted, the actors involved and the consequences for young people. It also explores programming by civil society actors for and with children, adolescents and young people to support their participation. It reflects on key areas of focus within programming, the extent to which programming has brought about change at scale, and gaps that remain.

Authors: Patricio Cuevas-Parra

Abstract:

Opportunities for young people to exercise voice and agency in contexts of forced displacement are especially constrained. This chapter focuses on a nationwide initiative in Jordan, the ‘Makani’ (My Space) one-stop centres which support children and adolescents from vulnerable host and refugee communities to connect with peers and trusted adults in a safe space through activities that foster their voice, agency and skills for participation in their community. This case study reflects on the mechanisms through which Makani centres provide opportunities for young people to express their voice and exercise agency and participation, and their effectiveness. Findings indicate that the programme overall has positive effects on adolescents’ individual and collective agency due in part to its emphasis on community engagement. However, gender norms constrain girls’ decision-making as well as their wider participation, particularly in the case of older adolescent girls.

Authors: Nicola Jones, Joost Vintges, Sarah Al Heiwidi

Abstract:

Drawing on the histories of practice and institutional knowledge of StreetInvest and Glad’s House, and the authors’ experiences of conducting academic and/or practice-based research with street-connected young people in multiple country contexts, this chapter examines the opportunities and challenges inherent to young people’s participation in policy and advocacy spaces. We critically explore the often gendered politics and moralities of young people’s agency in relation to practice-based approaches that support young people’s ability to exercise agency in relation to policy issues that affect them. As such, we justify the need for young person-led approaches to meaningful participation that are appropriately scaffolded by organisations that claim to support their access to civic spaces.

Authors: Su Lyn Corcoran, Ruth Edmonds, Vicky Ferguson, Siân Wynne

Abstract:

In Peru, despite comprising approximately 25% of the population, adolescents and young people (aged 10–24 years) face multiple barriers to realising their rights. These barriers include inadequate and inequitable access to health and education services, a lack of decent work opportunities and exposure to various forms of violence. Geographic location, ethnicity, gender identity and socioeconomic status combine to limit their potential. Peru has made some progress in advancing gender equality and girls’ and women’s rights in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. However, intersecting forms of discrimination experienced by women/girls from indigenous, Afro-Peruvian, disabled, rural and LBTQ+ communities perpetuate social and economic exclusion and prevent all girls and women from claiming their rights. Maykon ANALIT has prepared us for our current political and community work. T.

Authors: Leyla, Maykon Jhony, Quispe Quinto, Keiko Clara Campo Motta, Julia Smith-Brake, Roberto Naim Casquero Mayuntupa, Sherri-Ann Lyon

Abstract:

A school parliament consists of a group of students who are elected to represent the views of all pupils and to improve their school. School parliaments present a way to raise issues facing young people in their community, such as school attrition, child marriage, and child abuse, and collaborate on strategies to address these. School parliaments can thus provide a space to foster the capacity of young people to organise, form agendas, and be heard on matters that affect them. Through these committees, work is shared among the Members of the Parliament. Once they have shared out the work, the committees work together on issues to be submitted to the President. The authors should not only discuss children's affairs in the School Parliament. As Members of Parliament, they explain their issues to them. If that is not done, then they are only having a Parliament in name alone.

Author: ‘Mesfin’

Abstract:

Khuluma Mentors is a flagship programme of the SHM Foundation in Pretoria, South Africa. The programme aims to provide psychosocial support to adolescents and young people aged 13–24 who are living with HIV, a stigmatised condition that evidence shows can have a detrimental impact on mental health. It does this in two ways: first through peer-led digital support groups, and second, through a mentorship programme that provides mental health and employment support. Upon joining, young people answer a questionnaire co-designed by the mentors, which assesses what sorts of information and support would be the most useful to them. We mentors analyse this information and then use it to adapt and structure the curriculum on HIV/AIDS and psychosocial support to the young people’s priorities and interests.

Authors: Desmond Tau, Given Monama, Lungile Tshabalala, Grant Masemola, Kelebogile Motlopye, Phoku Nunga, Malebo Ngobeni, Tebogo Monese

Abstract:

The concluding chapter reflects upon the key themes that have emerged across the case studies and contributions of this edited collection, which collective illustrate the importance of a relational, contextualised and intersectional lens on adolescents and young people’s citizenship. Key conceptual and empirical contributions to understanding adolescent and young people’s civic and political voice and agency are identified, as well as the implications for research, policy and programming with adolescents and young people in the Global South. Finally, the chapter asks ‘where next?’ for work in this field.

Authors: Kate Pincock, Nicola Jones, Lorraine van Blerk