Youth futures under construction

Abstract

The articles presented here engage with some of the multifaceted and intersecting challenges faced by young people today � these include conflict, insecurity, limited government support, deep-set gender discrimination, climate change, infectious disease and a widespread lack of decent jobs. While recognising the structural influences on young people�s circumstances, the articles gathered here bring young people�s perspectives, experiences and actions to the fore. With an eye on the future, and a sense of the past, this collection is situated in the resent. Most of the research presented here stems from the British Academy�s Youth Futures research funding scheme. The results showcased here remind us how the present matters in and of itself, while influenced by the past and playing a key role in shaping the future. Thus there is a triple significance to understanding young people�s challenges: they matter for today and for how they impact tomorrow, and will be best understood with reference to the past.