Blogs
Border walk to Syria © Marcel Saleh/GAGE 2025
Tarek Al Hasan's irregular migration story
Read about Tarek Al Hasan’s irregular migration story from Lebanon to Germany.
13th January 2025
2025-01-13 09:20:25
Girls in school, Afar, Ethiopia © Nathalie Bertrams/GAGE 2024
In their own words: Spotlighting girls’ vision for the future on International Day of the Girl
A quarter of the world’s population are young people, 600 million of whom are adolescent girls navigating a critical life stage of rapid physical, emotional, social and cognitive development.
9th October 2024
2024-10-09 09:36:17
Student walkout and demonstration in solidarity with Paelstine © rajatonvimma /// VJ Group Random Doctors, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Palestine and student protests: our recent book shows why it is important to neither dismiss nor rom...
In recent weeks, student encampments in solidarity with Palestine have sprung up on campuses around the world. Starting in the United States, they spread to Europe, South America, Asia, South Africa and Australia.
4th June 2024
2024-06-04 12:42:51
An interview with Pincock et al. about their edited collection, Young People in the Global South: Vo...
Childhood Law and Policy Network (CLPN), interviewed Kate Pincock, Nicola Jones, Lorraine van Blerk and Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda about their edited…
23rd May 2024
2024-05-23 12:16:32
An adolescent girl using her phone in Bangladesh © Nathalie Bertrams/GAGE 2024
International Girls in ICT Day 2024: How do adolescent girls in Bangladesh use the internet to mobil...
Exploring how gender shapes Bangladeshi adolescents’ participation in online spaces, Pragyna Mahpara, Sahida Islam Khondaker and Taslima Aktar’s chapter in the book highlights how Bangladeshi adolescents and young people articulate claims to rights and demand that their voices be heard, by participating in organised civic movements against injustice.
25th April 2024
2024-04-25 06:30:49
Creating safe spaces and education opportunities for youth: A conversation with young researchers fr...
The Lebanese Association for Scientific Research (LASeR), a local stakeholder of the Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence (GAGE) programme, has…
8th April 2024
2024-04-08 06:10:16
Group of young students standing outside a school in Bangladesh © Nathalie Bertrams/GAGE 2024
Voice, agency and citizenship: The everyday politics of young people’s lives in the global South
This blog posted on ARC talks about the recently published book: 'Young People in the Global South: Voice, Agency and Citizenship'.
2nd April 2024
2024-04-02 09:33:49
Palestinians inspect a house, after an Israeli air strike, in the city of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip, on October 11 2023 © Anas-Mohammed, Shutterstock
وقف إطلاق النار في غزة أمر بالغ الأهمية لوقف الانتهاك الجماعي لحقوق الشباب والمراهقين
.يُولّد العنف المستمر في غزة ضغوطًا لا تُطاق على السكان المُهمشين أصلًا
3rd January 2024
2024-01-03 09:22:34
Palestinians inspect a house, after an Israeli air strike, in the city of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip, on October 11 2023 © Anas-Mohammed, Shutterstock
A ceasefire in Gaza is crucial to stop the mass violation of young people's rights
More than 18,000 people have now been killed, half of them children; and a further 8,000 remain missing under the debris of buildings or because they have been arrested by ground forces.
14th December 2023
2023-12-14 16:13:47
Arkan at Arab Adolescent Forum © GAGE 2023
A day in the life of Arkan: a visually-impaired adolescent researcher at the Arab Adolescent Forum
Read about a day in the life of Arkan: a visually-impaired adolescent researcher at the Arab Adolescent Forum
7th December 2023
2023-12-07 18:55:08
Nusrehena, 12, f, fetching water © Nathalie Bertrams/GAGE 2023
Youth engagement at UNFCCC COP28 – how can we ensure it is meaningful, intersectional and inclusive?
This blog highlights youth Engagement at UNFCCC COP28, and how can we ensure it is meaningful, intersectional and inclusive- underscoring the need to focus on intersecting challenges.
4th December 2023
2023-12-04 12:37:04
Amidst the ongoing humanitarian crisis, adolescents in Gaza must not be overlooked
As the humanitarian situation in Gaza deteriorates, the statistic that half of its 2.3 million population are children and adolescents…
19th October 2023
2023-10-19 14:42:10
Women Deliver Conference 2023: What we’ve learned and what we’re doing about it
Gathering over 6,000 global gender equality activists in Kigali, Rwanda from 17-20 July 2023 and over 200,000 people virtually, the Women Deliver 2023 Conference was inspirational, forward-looking, timely, and, at times, controversial.
4th September 2023
2023-09-04 07:59:07
Promoting Inequality And Fairness In The Treatment Of Refugee Youth: Reflections From The 2023 Refug...
How can inequality and fairness in the treatment of refugees be strengthened?
21st August 2023
2023-08-21 11:41:51
© Nathalie Bertrams / GAGE 2020
Launching the GAGE Special Issue on adolescent skills to address global challenges
This week, ODI’s Gender and Adolescence Global Evidence (GAGE) research consortium is excited to launch its special issue in…
3rd November 2022
2022-11-03 12:20:03
Development Studies Association conference 2022: key take-aways on the complexities of understanding...
The Development Studies Association 2022 Conference was hosted online by University College London on 6-8 July. The theme was ‘Just…
6th September 2022
2022-09-06 18:38:50
Intersectional approaches to adolescent voice and agency in crisis contexts
‘Unless we openly discuss the sticky and persistent issues of power dynamics, especially when it comes decision making, resource sharing,…
22nd August 2022
2022-08-22 16:34:39
Flipchart used to capture adolescents' reflections on inequalities @ GAGE
What do gender inequalities mean to adolescents living in Jordan and Lebanon?
Insights from GAGE qualitative researchers The theme of World Refugee Day 2022 is ‘the right to seek safety’: it recognises…
21st June 2022
2022-06-21 08:29:25
Flipchart used to capture adolescents' reflections on inequalities @ GAGE
What do socioeconomic inequalities mean to adolescents living in Jordan and Lebanon?
Insights from GAGE qualitative researchers World Refugee Day 2022 encourages public awareness and support for refugees globally. Yet whilst this…
19th June 2022
2022-06-19 07:24:40
A World In Your Ear: The Power of Podcasts
This article was first posted on 16th December on Research to Action A World In Your Ear: The…
20th December 2021
2021-12-20 09:35:02
© Nathalie Bertrams/GAGE
Five Ways That Education Systems Can Support Girls in the Face of Climate Change, Today
Five Ways That Education Systems Can Support Girls in the Face of Climate Change, Today | Center For Global…
27th July 2021
2021-07-27 08:52:34
Fund Girls’ Education. Don’t Greenwash It.
You might think girls' education and climate change are quite different issues. But, with money for and political attention on climate change growing, savvy education donors and advocacy organisations are increasingly making links between the two.
27th July 2021
2021-07-27 08:41:28
Baalbek, Lebanon. Photo: Miral Omari
We need youth leadership to carve out a better future
Miral is a 19-year-old Lebanese girl living in Baalbek who studies journalism at the Lebanese Public University.
7th March 2021
2021-03-07 22:09:40
Photo: Ali Hamad
I lost my education, but I didn’t lose hope of learning
Ali is an 18-year-old Syrian boy from Aleppo who lives in a collective shelter in Lebanon.
24th January 2021
2021-01-24 23:35:32
© DFID/Anna Dubuis
COVID-19’s impact on Rohingya and Bangladeshi adolescents in Cox’s Bazar
Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi adolescents report being impoverished due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with girls experiencing the impact more intensely.
21st December 2020
2020-12-21 12:09:57
Photo: Firas Toameh
You can help most when you have passion
Firas is a 16-year-old Palestinian boy from Syria who lives in Ein el-Hilweh camp in Lebanon.
18th December 2020
2020-12-18 01:00:03
Photo: Hammoud Jamal
Roads of death keep following us
Hammoud is a 19-year-old Syrian boy from Aleppo. He was displaced by the Syrian war when he was 12 years old.
17th December 2020
2020-12-17 00:57:08
Photo: Amal Al-Hayat
We can always invest in negative circumstances and turn them to positivity
Amal is a 19-year-old Syrian girl from Aleppo, Syria, who married her cousin out of love when she was 16.
17th December 2020
2020-12-17 00:50:17
Photo: Jouri Ismail
We do not have the option to be broken
Jouri is a 19-year-old Palestinian girl living in Ein el-Hilweh camp, Lebanon.
11th October 2020
2020-10-11 06:00:37
A teenage girl wearing a protective cloth mask against transmissible COVID-19 diseases in Dhaka. Photo: Jahangir Alam Onuchcha/Shutterstock.com
Investing in girls’ education in the time of covid-19
How harmful cultural practices prevent adolescent girls from continuing their education, exacerbated by Covid-19.
9th October 2020
2020-10-09 00:28:19
Girls in extra-curricular computer class. Photo: NISER
Beijing+25: why we should work with families to upskill adolescent girls
Four priorities for Beijing +25 and investment in adolescent girls' lifeskills.
30th September 2020
2020-09-30 00:38:24
Rima. Photo: Lebanese adolescent girls
Sexual and reproductive health is not a taboo, it is my right
Rima is a 17-year-old Lebanese girl born in Syria. Her family returned to Lebanon on the onset of the Syrian war.
29th September 2020
2020-09-29 01:11:17
Aynaa. Photo: Palestinian adolescent girls
Violence is a major problem adolescent refugee girls face, but is it the core problem?
Aynaa is a 16-year-old Palestinian refugee girl from Ein el-Hilweh, the largest and most crowded Palestinian camp in Lebanon.
29th September 2020
2020-09-29 01:06:50
An in-person interview following resumption of fieldwork. Photo: Mindset
Data collection in covid-19 restrictions
For Mindset, a research partner in Jordan, covid-19 has required a creative rethinking of the way we collect data.
14th September 2020
2020-09-14 01:53:14
Lebanon
Adolescents in their own voices: ‘I am here, I exist, hear me! ’ - my voice to the world
Zeina is a 17-year-old Syrian girl from Raqqa who got married when she was 15 and has an infant child.
12th August 2020
2020-08-12 02:52:02
Adolescent girl at a recycling plant in Dhaka. Photo: Nathalie Bertrams/GAGE
Fear of uncertainty: an unexpected common ground
Young researchers are in the same boat as their adolescent peers in Dhaka, face a different storm.
29th April 2020
2020-04-29 02:23:46
Country research team in Jordan. Photo: Agnieszka Malachowska/GAGE
Doing long-distance research with vulnerable adolescents under covid-19 lockdown
Researchers in Lebanon and Jordan talk about virtual research activities during the covid-19 pandemic.
16th April 2020
2020-04-16 02:53:34
People attending a funeral in Ebenat, Ethiopia with no regard for social distancing. Photo: Fikru
Lessons from the virtual interview process with young people in Ethiopia under covid-19 lockdown
Our Ethiopia team reflect on the virtual interview process with vulnerable young people.
16th April 2020
2020-04-16 01:23:37
Girls' room in Ebenat primary school, Ethiopia. Photo: Nathalie Bertrams/GAGE
Research uptake in the covid-19 crisis
Researchers need to act swiftly to the covid-19 pandemic without compromising rigour.
6th April 2020
2020-04-06 07:21:16
Most young, married girls in Ethiopia don’t have the family planning information they need © GettyImages
Social Norms Stop Ethiopian Girls From Making Safe Choices About Pregnancy
Our research in Ethiopia found that access to contraceptive information and supplies varies by region, but that cultural and gender norms are still a barrier to use of contraception even where it is made available.
26th February 2020
2020-02-26 09:06:59
Social protection in humanitarian contexts
Exploring social protection programming in humanitarian contexts, using a gender and adolescence lens.
29th January 2020
2020-01-29 06:58:56
Photo: Nathalie Bertrams/GAGE
Corporal punishment in schools: unaddressed reasons behind dropouts in Bangladesh
Though Bangladesh has shown significant progress in terms of education, high dropout rates are still a challenge.
5th December 2019
2019-12-05 00:18:17
Conducting research with adolescents with disabilities: a perspective from the field
Lessons learnt and methods used to tackle the structural constraints of working with adolescents with disabilities in Bangladesh.
4th December 2019
2019-12-04 02:51:15
Photo: Nathalie Bertrams/GAGE
Nairobi Summit on ICPD25: researchers' perspectives on sexual and reproductive health in Ethiopia
Our country research team in Ethiopia discuss access to sexual health and reproductive rights.
13th November 2019
2019-11-13 07:26:53
Adolescent girls at school in Dire Dawa, Ethiopia. Photo: Nathalie Bertrams/GAGE
Will the 10th IAEG-SDGs meeting deliver for adolescents?
The 2020 Review serves as an opportunity to review and improve the SDG Indicator Framework.
22nd October 2019
2019-10-22 00:54:42
Photo: Nathalie Bertrams/GAGE
A perspective from the field: Lebanon
GAGE Lebanon adolescent participatory researchers in conversation with Sally Youssef.
10th October 2019
2019-10-10 23:15:18
Photo: Agnieszka Malachowska/GAGE
A perspective from the field: Jordan
GAGE Jordan adolescent participatory researchers in conversation with Sarah Alheiwidi.
10th October 2019
2019-10-10 22:42:04
Country research team on fieldwork in Ethiopia. Photo: Kassahun Tilahun Dessie
View from the field: researchers’ perspectives
Our country research team in Ethiopia discuss the challenges of field work in Afar.
30th September 2019
2019-09-30 11:25:49
Adolescent experiences of school violence in Jordan: insights from GAGE Jordan qualitative researche...
On #YouthDay, researchers discuss the patterning of violence in schools in Jordan.
12th August 2019
2019-08-12 09:06:22
My first experience at the 63rd Commission on the Status of Women (CSW)
It was clear from the outset that CSW was going to be an important learning opportunity.
1st April 2019
2019-04-01 11:31:53
Closing session at CSW63S. Photo: Ryan Brown/UN Women
CSW63: Did it deliver for adolescent girls?
Reaching agreement on wording that all 193 Member States are happy with is no mean feat.
1st April 2019
2019-04-01 10:40:12
Closing session at CSW63. Photo: Ryan Brown/UN Women
CSW63: What was achieved? What more needs to be done to promote gender-responsive social protection ...
CSW63 was an opportune moment to take stock of what we know about social protection.
1st April 2019
2019-04-01 10:08:40
Photo: Rebecca Reid
Research with adolescents with disabilities in Palestine
In conversation with Ingrid Gercama Given that young people with a disability face considerable discrimination and stigma in the Palestinian…
27th February 2019
2019-02-27 17:39:36
Photo: Jessica Lea/DfID
How to help families help their adolescent daughters
Many of today’s families are parenting their adolescent girls in a world they could have never imagined for themselves. Arguably,…
27th February 2019
2019-02-27 17:39:22
Photo: Pippa Ranger
Insights from the IAAH 2017 conference on adolescent health
What does the future hold for adolescent health? In October 2017, more than 1,100 people from over 60 countries met…
27th February 2019
2019-02-27 17:39:22
CSW62: Did it deliver for adolescent girls?
In March this year, GAGE researchers and staff attended the 62nd Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in New…
27th February 2019
2019-02-27 17:39:22
Girls Not Brides global meeting. Photo: Graham Crouch/Girls Not Brides
Girls Not Brides: Second Global Meeting
The imperative of tackling child marriage has risen rapidly up the development agenda over the past decade and the energy…
27th February 2019
2019-02-27 17:39:22
EU Development Days. Photo: European Commission
GAGE at the 2018 European Development Days
The European Development Days (EDD) is a two-day development fair organised by the European Commission, the executive body of the European…
26th September 2018
2018-09-26 18:03:04
GAGE video and photography workshop
GAGE aims to develop country specific videos and images that are representative of the communities it works within and of…
26th August 2018
2018-08-26 18:02:04
International Youth Day: Creating safe spaces
Sunday marks 19 years of celebrating International Youth Day (IYD), designated by the United Nations as the day to recognise…
26th August 2018
2018-08-26 18:00:42
Adolescents girls being interviewed in Nepal. Photo: Fiona Samuels
Adolescent girls working in the adult entertainment sector (AES) in Nepal
NISER with ODI, has been conducting research on adolescents since 2012, focusing particularly on…
26th July 2018
2018-07-26 17:53:42
International Women's Day 2018: GAGE country perspectives
International Women’s Day (IWD) has been taking place, across the world, for over 100 years. It is recognized by the …
26th March 2018
2018-03-26 17:46:56
2018 ECOSOC Youth Forum: leaving no adolescent girl behind?
GAGE was recently invited to participate in the 2018 United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Youth Forum, held at…
26th March 2018
2018-03-26 17:46:08
An adolescent girl attends a girls’ club meeting in Afar, Ethiopia. Photo: UNICEF Ethiopia
GAGE Ethiopia's qualitative research team on FGM/C
Changing circumcision practices are positive, but there is a long way to go to achieve eradication… FGM/C is believed to…
26th February 2018
2018-02-26 17:44:54
Learning Exchange, Nepal, 2017. Photo: GAGE
Supporting academic writing for early career researchers
Dr Laura Camfield, Professor of Development and Research and Evaluation at the University of East Anglia (UEA), tells us about…
26th December 2017
2017-12-26 17:43:42
Mapping journeys of adolescent service users in Gaza
GAGE researchers in Gaza have been mapping the services available to adolescents by making use of open source online mapping…
26th November 2017
2017-11-26 17:35:45
Adolescent girls' and boys' refugee experiences in Rwanda
Marie Francoise Umutoni, from FATE Consulting Rwanda, has been awarded GAGE funding to conduct research with adolescents in refugee camps.
26th November 2017
2017-11-26 17:34:48
Reflections from the field: Kifah Bani Odeh
Kifah Bani Odeh has worked as a qualitative researcher in the Middle East with the GAGE programme since its inception…
26th November 2017
2017-11-26 17:33:12
Addressing children's vulnerabilities in humanitarian situations
Universal Children’s Day is celebrated on November 20 each year. This important recognition day commemorates the UN General…
26th November 2017
2017-11-26 17:32:30
Nepali girl. Photo: ADB
Can mixed methods promote evidence-informed policy-making for women’s empowerment?
This blog by Innovations for Poverty Action summarises discussions from a researcher gathering on measuring women’s empowerment in impact evaluations. Read the…
26th November 2017
2017-11-26 17:30:50
Nepali girl. Photo: ADB
Can mixed methods promote evidence-informed policy-making for women’s empowerment?
This blog by Innovations for Poverty Action summarises discussions from a researcher gathering on measuring women’s empowerment in impact evaluations. Read the summary…
26th November 2017
2017-11-26 17:29:31
An adolescent girl attends a girls’ club meeting in Afar, Ethiopia. Photo: UNICEF Ethiopia
Five ways girls’ clubs improve adolescent girls’ well-being
Rachel Marcus, GAGE Evidence Synthesis Lead, explores the key findings and implications from the recent rigorous evidence review of girls’…
26th October 2017
2017-10-26 17:08:30
Girl students discuss their issues at a Girl's Club meeting at Oda Aneso Primary School. Photo: Alternative Basic Education Center
GAGE, girls' clubs and gaps: what's next?
What are the key takeaways for GAGE from the evidence review of girls’ clubs and life skills programmes? How will…
26th October 2017
2017-10-26 17:07:42
School girl in a classroom. Photo: Stephan Bachenheimer/GPE
Lessons learned from Plan International's Girl Power Programme
This blog explores Plan International’s experiences in delivering the Girl Power Programme including lessons learnt from Nepal and Sierra Leone.
26th October 2017
2017-10-26 15:41:02
Adolescent girls in Jordan. Photo: UNICEF USA
Empowering youth through technology: UNICEF Innovation Labs in Jordan
GAGE will be working with UNICEF in Jordan to measure the impact of their adolescent-focused programming for adolescent girls. One…
26th September 2017
2017-09-26 17:06:57
Adolescents in an ICT class, Namibia. Photo: World Bank
Pros and cons of digital media in girls' lives in the global South
Spreading from high- through to middle- and low-income countries, adolescents are going online more, and more frequently, as they gain…
26th August 2017
2017-08-26 17:06:20
Adolescent girls in Jordan. Photo: Ingrid Gercama/GAGE
What is it like for girls to grow up in Occupied Palestine?
This collection of photos by adolescent girls explores how adolescent girls and young women in Gaza deal with social and…
26th June 2017
2017-06-26 17:04:49
Classroom in Nepal. Photo: Plan International
Changing parents' attitudes towards girls' education in Nepal
Nepal has achieved gender parity in primary education, reflecting changing attitudes among parents towards the value of their daughters’ education.
26th June 2017
2017-06-26 17:03:37
Adolescents in Rwanda. Photo: Plan International
Changing gendered social norms among parents in Rwanda
As Rwanda strives for an equal society, social norms and expectations are changing. In the past, parents believed sons were…
26th June 2017
2017-06-26 17:02:56
Using visual participatory research methods with adolescents in Gaza
A staggering 1 in 10 of the world’s children is currently living in a conflict-affected environment. With the average conflict…
26th May 2017
2017-05-26 17:02:22
Looking at life through a window in Gaza: Maha’s story
Maha’s* story was created as part of the GAGE’s participatory research project aimed at exploring the realities of adolescents’ lives…
5th May 2017
2017-05-05 13:55:55