Representations Of Youth Research Articles

Youth Transition, Culture and Identity in Timor-Leste

Over the years, young people in Timor-Leste have faced difficulties accessing employment, and youth violence continues to rise. This study examines how historical events and social changes have shaped youth behaviour in Timor-Leste. It also explores the cultural representation and identity of youth who lived through periods of social turmoil and political tension. Additionally, the study addresses social issues that impact the transition of today's youth. Practical measures to improve the well-being of today's youth are crucial, including encouraging job accessibility, developing relevant youth policies, and enhancing youth-related activities.

Representing children and youth in global migration governance: mobilization, corporatist representation and partnerships

ABSTRACT While children and youth undeniably have a stake in and are affected by global migration governance, they have only recently gained recognition as a constituency in global multi-stakeholder dialogues around migration. In this article, we examine the ways in which the mobilization of young people has created new pathways for child and youth representation in the global governance of migration. Based on the analysis of policy documents, interviews and participant observations from the 13th Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) in 2021, we demonstrate how children and youth as a stakeholder group have established new processes to identify policy priorities, select representatives and build partnerships to offer solutions to pressing migration challenges. Although institutional trajectories limit the kinds of representation that become possible, the mobilization of young people has resulted in a tangible strengthening of their access, space and strategic position to represent themselves in global migration governance.

The materiality of youth representation at climate summits: navigating barriers, routes, and spaces

ABSTRACT Recent decades have seen institutionalized procedures for youth representation in global climate governance, and significant visibility for youth climate activists. Despite these improvements, young representatives continue to bear witness about tokenized forms of participation and a lack of influence. This article seeks to address this ambiguous development by focusing on the materiality of youth representation in United Nations climate conferences. Through interviews and participant observations at COP26 and COP27, as well as COY16 and COY17, we analyse the bureaucratic and socio-economic barriers to representation, the knowledge resources and competitiveness of the routes to representation, and the spatial ordering and subversive tactics on site at the summits. We show that these materialities shape youth’s discursive strategies, thus helping to explain who gets to be a representative and what forms of subjectivities, agendas, claims, and strategies that become possible in the global climate governance regime.

Recommendations from the ABA Commission on Youth at Risk Convening – “Renewal and Revolution: Recommitting the Legal Profession to Serve Children and Youth, their Families, and Communities”

AbstractYouth and families impacted by legal systems now resoundingly attest to the systems' lasting harm, echoed by interdisciplinary research. Lawyering thus requires a vastly renewed outlook, boldness, and honest inquiry about the limits of what the law and public systems can (and should) attempt as purported problem‐solving amidst broader socioeconomic forces and injustice. This report synthesizes recommendations from a groundswell of diverse, dedicated voices following an October 2023 convening hosted by the American Bar Association Commission on Youth at Risk, the ABA Center on Children and the Law, and Hofstra University's Maurice A. Deane School of Law. Entitled “Renewal and Revolution: Recommitting the Legal Profession to Serving Children and Youth, Their Families, and Communities,” the convening engaged various professionals—many with firsthand experience in foster and justice systems— and other advocates. Since the 2006 ABA Youth At Risk Initiative Planning Conference, the ABA Commission on Youth At Risk has elevated the representation and voice of youth through ethical practice standards, expanded access, and national initiatives. This report recounts findings of the 2023 convening's four working groups which met for two‐days of (often tense) discussions to chart a path for the legal profession, law, and policy for the next decade and beyond. Priorities include: transcending conceptions of youth “at risk” towards recognition of harms done, a strengths‐based lens, and lived experience leadership and expertise; cultivating next generation attorneys; prioritizing early family defense and diversion; divesting from systems and re‐investing directly with youth and families; and further eliminating racial disparities.

Racial and ethnic representation of youth in type 1 diabetes interventional trials

BackgroundUnderrepresentation of racial and ethnic groups in clinical trials can limit generalizability of research findings and equitable access to treatment. This study evaluates racial and ethnic representation of youth in US-based interventional trials on childhood type 1 diabetes (T1D). MethodsThis cross-sectional study examined interventional trials of T1D conducted in the US and registered on ClinicalTrials.gov. Trials were included if completed as of June 6, 2023, began between years 2010 and 2022, and exclusively enrolled youth ≤19 years old. We assessed representation of racial and ethnic groups in T1D trials, estimated using the enrollment-prevalence difference (EPD). ResultsA total of 106 trials were eligible for inclusion. Of those eligible, 62 (58 %) trials reported participant race or ethnicity and were included in the analyses. Significant disparities in enrollment were observed for American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian/Pacific Islander, Black, and Hispanic youth compared to their respective contribution to disease burden among youth in the US. Disparities in trial enrollment were greatest for Black (EPD, −10.2; 95 % confidence interval [CI], −14.4 to −7.9) and Hispanic (EPD, −7.7; 95 % CI, −12.6 to −4.8) youth. EPDs of trials conducted prior to year 2017 did not differ significantly from those conducted as of year 2017. ConclusionsHistorically marginalized racial and ethnic youth were underrepresented in T1D trials. Strategies to improve recruitment of these populations are needed to reduce inequities in diabetes treatment and outcomes.

ADHD in Black Youth: A Content Analysis of Empirical Research from 1972 to 2023

Objective: The purpose of this content analysis study was to characterize patterns of research on Black youth with ADHD. Method: Relevant articles were identified through searching psychology and medical databases and cross-referencing citations in previously published review articles. The 204 empirical articles included in this study (1) were conducted in the United States, (2) had a predominantly child or adolescent sample, (3) had more than 80% Black youth/families in the study sample and/or conducted separate analyses for Black youth/families, and (4) examined ADHD symptoms or diagnoses. Articles were categorized into five primary content areas: Assessment, Treatment, Perceptions, Prevalence, and Associated Correlates. Journal characteristics, sample characteristics, and methodological characteristics are presented across these content areas. Results: Findings show a relatively low representation of Black youth with ADHD in the literature, with most studies using race comparative approaches and secondary data analyses, and many being published in medical journals. Conclusion: Based on these results, changes are recommended both at the individual study and broader systems levels (e.g., funding agencies). More research, funding, and publications centering Black youth with ADHD are vital to understanding and correcting long-standing health disparities for this community.

Do Attachment, Educator Characteristics and Youth-Educator Relationship Matter in 6-Month Changes of Institutionalized Adolescents?

This longitudinal study involved youths in residential care due to previous adverse experiences and their educators, aiming to investigate the role of youths and educators' attachment, educators' psychopathology, and the quality of youth-educator relationship on change scores of youths' symptoms and youth-educator relationship security over 6 months. Participants were 36 institutionalized youths (Mage = 16.50 ± 2.13) and their 25 main educators (Mage = 38.48 ± 5.75), assessed at baseline (T1) and 6 months later (T2). Youths were assessed in total, internalizing and externalizing problems via a multi-informant approach, and educators in psychopathology levels. Attachment representations of youths and educators were assessed through validated attachment interviews (Friends and Family Interview and Adult Attachment Interview), and both separately rated the youth-educator relationship. (1) Most cases remain stable over 6 months. (2) Educator narrative coherence and the quality of youth-educator relationship at baseline were correlated but not predictive of change in youths' symptoms. (3) Youths' higher attachment disorganization at baseline was the unique predictor of 14% variance of positive change in the youth-educator relationship security perceived by the youth. (4) Youth attachment avoidance uniquely predicted 37% of positive change variance in the youth-educator relationship security perceived by educators. In conclusion, attachment-based assessment of youths and educators can inform intervention to foster youth improvement.

Perspectives of Sexual and Gender Minority Youth on Anti-Vaping Messages in Social Media.

Sexual and gender minority (SGM) youth have higher rates of nicotine vaping than other youth in the United States. While social media can be effective in reaching youth and discouraging vaping, informed cultural tailoring is necessary to ensure effective messaging to SGM youth. This study aimed to understand SGM youth perspectives on anti-vaping social media messages and tailoring approaches. In-depth, qualitative videoconference interviews were conducted from February to July 2022 with 34 SGM youth recruited in the United States via social media ads. The interview guide addressed participants' beliefs about vaping, the context of vaping, perspectives on tailoring messages, and responses to examples of social media anti-vaping messages. Coding and thematic analysis followed a team-based approach. SGM youth perspectives fell into four categories - representation and diversity, facts and evidence, empowering messages, and source credibility. Participants stressed the importance of accurate, genuine representation of SGM youth in messages, but also noted that more overt representation may be seen as tokenizing. Participants recommended partnering with known LGBTQ+ influencers who can promote or share anti-vaping messages on social media platforms. They also recommended using culturally tailored language, including statistics specific to SGM youth, and invoking themes of empowerment to improve the relevance, reach, and effectiveness of anti-vaping campaigns. Findings can inform future efforts to develop anti-vaping messages for SGM youth with effective reach through social media. Nuanced perspectives on SGM representation in messages suggest a careful approach to tailoring. Concerns around inauthenticity may be minimized by ensuring SGM youth are included in message development and dissemination. This study describes the importance of being attentive to the tailoring preferences among the current generation of sexual and gender minority youth. Findings will inform social media-based messaging strategies that discourage nicotine vaping tailored for SGM youth in health campaign material design and evaluation, ensuring that tailored messages are designed in ways that avoid unintended consequences. The study also describes methods for effectively engaging SGM youth in research to improve the relevance of health education materials for this population and increase reach, which in turn can lead to reduction in vaping practices among SGM youth.

From Protests to Progress: Unlocking the Potential of the Nigerian Youth for Political Reform

In light of persistent political challenges and social unrest in Nigeria, this paper examines the transformative potential of the nation's youth, whose rich history of activism has significantly shaped the country's political landscape. However, despite these historical precedents, contemporary youth engagement remains crucially significant, particularly in light of recent protests that have reverberated across the nation. By examining the historical context of youth activism in Nigeria, this paper elucidates the evolution of past movements and their enduring impact on the country’s political sphere. Furthermore, the paper analyses the contemporary landscape of youth engagement, highlighting the multifaceted nature of recent protests and the underlying catalysts driving them. Of particular significance is the role of social media in mobilizing Nigerian youth, providing a platform for collective action, and amplifying their voices in the public discourse. Despite the undeniable agency demonstrated by Nigerian youth, numerous barriers impede their ability to effect lasting political reform. In response, this paper proposes a strategic framework for empowering Nigerian youth for leadership, encompassing initiatives such as education and awareness campaigns, the creation of spaces for youth representation in government, and the strengthening of youth-led organizations. In conclusion, this paper advocates for sustained attention and investment in empowering Nigerian youth as catalysts for political reform. Recognizing their agency and potential, stakeholders must work collaboratively to foster an environment conducive to meaningful youth engagement and inclusive governance.

MTV Brazil: musical repertoire and construction of a televised youth (1990)

Objective/context: this article analyzes the construction of youth representations through the musical repertoire produced by MTV Brasil in its first year. The objective is to understand the musical segments most explored by the broadcaster during this period, as well as how to articulate their protagonism in the transformation of the “youth music” category, with a singular impact on Brazilian youth culture. mtv was a television channel aimed at young audiences, which started in the United States in 1981 and arrived in Brazil in 1990 through Grupo Abril, a national media conglomerate. The broadcast on Brazilian soil is based on the American format, showing musical videos from artists and specific musical segments, with a strong attraction for consumption in this sector of the population. Methodology: considering music as a social marker, this study analyzes the specific repertoire of musical segments and artists produced by the broadcaster as a means of identification. Therefore, an examination based on the first musical videos by Brazilian artists produced by the broadcaster and broadcast in its first year is proposed. Originality: the level of importance of certain media or media programs in the constitution of the identities of social agents, especially in the development of juvenile identities in the recent past, is only a little analyzed. Conclusions: it can be concluded that MTV operated as a musical authority for young people, acting as a curator of what they should consume to perform their youthful condition, acting as an artificer of youth. The broadcaster was based on its initial repertoire among a group of artists linked to rock music, with a strong influence on the recording industry in the 1990s and a decisive impact on Brazilian youth.

‘Do young legislators face age-based discrimination in parliament? Views from young MPs across the globe'

ABSTRACT There is a growing literature on youth representation in parliament illustrating a stark underrepresentation of adults aged 35 years or under, as well as 40 years or under, in most national legislatures across the globe. However, we know less about the kind of treatment young MPs receive once elected to parliament. Through a survey with structured and open-ended questions, featuring 144 young legislators across the globe, we illustrate that – judging by these perceptions – youths’ obstacles in politics do not stop at the electoral stage. A sizeable number of young MPs from our sample report that they experience ageism in many national legislatures. Most frequently, such perceived ageism is informal. In the view of young MPs, it manifests itself in subtle and not-so-subtle forms of discrimination and belittling treatment. For the broader literature on representation, this implies that the disadvantage youth face during elections might continue once in parliament, with the potential risk that this group of legislators has less influence in parliament than other groups.

The Politics of Youth Representation at Climate Change Conferences: Who Speaks, Who Is Spoken of, and Who Listens?

Abstract In this article, we examine how young climate activists make use of the United Nations (UN) constituency system to give voice to children and youth in global climate governance. Our study is based on a mapping of accredited youth nongovernmental organizations (YOUNGO) as well as fieldwork at two UN Climate Change Conferences, where we conducted interviews, observed events, and analyzed plenary interventions. Informed by constructivist accounts of political representation, the article pays attention to the performative relationship between institutionalized means of youth representation and “the represented.” When analyzing our material, we asked who speaks for youth, how youth are spoken of, and how institutions shape representative speech. Our study identifies three subject positions that offer competing interpretations of who youth are as a political community and what they want. Rather than taking youth’s demands and interests as a starting point for representative politics, the article illustrates how the UN constituency system actively constructs youth and effectively molds young climate activists into professional insiders.

Angelenos? What’s That? Young Italians in Los Angeles in the Fiction of John Fante, Andrea De Carlo, and Chiara Barzini

ABSTRACT In the complex and varied history of Italian migration to the United States, the Californian experience has stood out for the original dynamics of its mobility, especially in relation to the transit of Italians to Los Angeles. This article investigates three descriptions of the Italian experience in Los Angeles in different moments in the city’s history as provided by three authors who embody different transnational Italian perspectives, namely John Fante’s Ask the Dust (1939), Andrea De Carlo’s Treno di panna (1983) and Chiara Barzini’s Things that Happened before the Earthquake (2017). This article explores how these representations of the Los Angeles experience have contributed to broadening the representation of Italian youth abroad. At the same time, my analysis identifies how the Italian experience has expanded the prism of literary interpretations of the city and deepened the knowledge of the metropolis and its dense stratification of ethnic communities and cultures.

Social media performance in school: Youth practice of humor and resistance through TikTok trends

Youth representations of school on social media offer critical glimpses of student conceptions of their roles and agency within the institution. Current research on youth public performances on social media applications such as TikTok describe them primarily as reflections of how social media use acts on youth and, less often, as ways that youth can develop agency through social media. Much less examined is how youth use social media to practice resistance to dominant narratives. Using literary scholar Mikhail Bakhtin’s concept of the carnivalesque as a lens into youth social media performances in and about school, this investigation asks to what extent do public social media videos in and about school allow for youth practice of resistance to dominant narratives of control. Focusing on two different samples of TikTok videos taken in school, the first a time sample of seven videos and the second a close reading of six videos of a hashtag-based search, this analysis examines humor and parody as a space of resistance in youth expression and emphasizes the need to consider how educators and systems create and uphold official hierarchies that necessitate a vibrant second world of youth-created play.

Too Young to Run? Voter Evaluations of the Age of Candidates

AbstractWhy do elected officials tend to be much older than most of their constituents? To understand the mechanisms behind the underrepresentation of young people in public office, we conducted two novel survey experiments in Japan. We asked voters in these experiments to evaluate the photos of hypothetical candidates while altering candidates’ faces using age regression and progression software. Contrary to the observed age demographics of politicians, the voters in our experiments strongly disliked older candidates but viewed younger and middle-aged candidates as equally favorable. Voters saw young candidates as less experienced but also more likely to focus on many policy issues over a longer period, including education, childcare, climate change, anti-corruption measures, and multiculturalism. Young voters especially liked young candidates, suggesting that greater youth turnout could increase youth representation. Conversely, elderly candidates were universally panned, seen as the least competent, least likely to focus on most policy issues, and least electable. Voter biases thus do not seem to be a driving factor behind the shortage of young politicians. To the contrary, voters appear perfectly willing to cast their ballots for young candidates.

Limited supply: Youth underrepresentation in the Canadian House of Commons

Much of the research on youth representation focuses on the final stage of electoral recruitment: young peoples' presence in legislatures. We expand this scope using a supply and demand framework to document the representation of young people not only in parliament but also in the candidate stage that proceeds it. Drawing on an extensive dataset of more than 3000 candidates in Canadian federal elections from 2008 to 2021, we show that young peoples’ numerical underrepresentation is not primarily a function of voter discrimination but rather a result of the small number of young candidates who come forward. We find that limited youth representation in the candidate pool translates into low representation rates in parliament. These results suggest that efforts to ameliorate youth underrepresentation in politics must be attentive to supply-side issues, including party gatekeeping, resource constraints, political ambition, and the motivations for running for office.

Continuing to Talanoa: storytelling dialogues for youth engagement in climate action and justice

This article recounts a classroom application of a dialogue, story-telling process used at COPs beginning in 2017. In that year, the Fijian President of the United Nations climate summit, COP23 in Bonn, proposed the entire assembly use his nation’s Talanoa Dialogue process for building ambition for national commitments to the Paris Agreement. When youth, women’s and Indigenous voices were heard in unprecedented ways, many committed to continuing the practice. A florescence of the Asian-Pacific-inspired, conflict-resolution storytelling and dialogue practice ensued, with some continuing for years afterward. This paper recounts eight rounds of varied Talanoa Dialogues employed in higher education contexts. Purposes ranged from internal team-building, to forging community partnerships, to serving as vehicles for youth representation in international contexts like climate COPs. All dialogues nonetheless prioritized listening, recording, and representation through ethnographic, anthropological lenses. These experiences support recommendations to (1) Create chances for youth to listen empathetically to the stories of others in ways attentive to varied national, ethnic and other intersectional (e.g. gendered, class-based) social locations, expanding their awareness and linking their affective and intellectual selves; (2) Make opportunities for youth to voice their own stories and perspectives on climate challenges and work, considering their developmental trajectories in intergenerational contexts, while emphasizing the need to “scale” from individual through global dimensions; (3) Explore the implications of borrowing from exogenous cultural traditions, considering what factors may render this relatively legitimate, as opposed to appropriative. I explore particularities of the cultural origins of Talanoa Dialogues, which mediate hierarchy and egalitarianism, arguing that this function is especially apt for navigating conundrums of youth leadership and so-called “youth-washing.”

María Victoria Menis’s María y El Araña

Middle-class children and adolescents have been represented in several Argentine films of the twenty-first century. In María y El Araña [ María and Spiderman ] (2013), María Victoria Menis tackles the representation of youth who are at risk due to both their working-class backgrounds and the absence or incapacity of any parental figures. Her film also engages with the difficult topics of adolescent sexualization, sexual abuse, and physical violence perpetrated against disadvantaged youth. While the cinematic depiction of destitution, also known as ‘poverty porn’, generally deploys realism, I argue that Menis avoids the dangers of the paedophilic gaze in María y El Araña , by briefly providing the point of view of the young female protagonist, as well as a glimpse into one of her dreams. The director also relies on fairy tales to narrate this story about the dangers of adult violence against vulnerable adolescents to educate viewers about these abuses and their threat to civilized society. Because fairy tales offer access to imaginative worlds, despite the film’s themes, María y El Araña has an unusual ending for a Latin American film featuring at-risk young protagonists.

Implementing ecological momentary assessments to measure violence and adolescent HIV transmission risk: Lessons from Johannesburg, South Africa.

Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) is an important methodology to understand risky behaviour and holds promise for HIV research. EMA is still novel in sub-Saharan Africa. We describe challenges and lessons learned on a novel study implementing mobile phone EMAs with adolescent boys in South Africa. The Tsamaisano study was a longitudinal study from 2020-2023 to recruit adolescent boys aged 15-19 years; including those without HIV and those perinatally infected and living with HIV. Participants were prompted to complete 52 weekly mobile phone survey on emotional state, exposure to and perpetration of violence, and sexual risk behaviour. Surveys were delivered using a random algorithm to choose the day. We incorporated mechanisms to assess challenges and optimize survey completion: weekly team meetings with youth representation and real-time data monitoring. Additionally, 20 frequent vs infrequent survey submitters participated in qualitative interviews about barriers and recommendations. Real-time monitoring indicated low (defined as <50%) survey completion in the first months of study implementation. To ensure that both the adolescent participant and their caregiver understood the commitment required for successful EMA, we created and implemented a guided discussion around mobile phone access during the enrolment visit. We identified a need for increased and ongoing technical support; addressed by creating technical guides, implementing a standard two-week check-in call after enrolment, adding an automated request button for call-back assistance, creating a WhatsApp messaging stream, and reaching out to all participants failing to submit two sequential surveys. Entry-level smartphones, including those initially distributed by the study, did not have capacity for certain updates and had to be replaced with more expensive models. Participants struggled with randomly allocated survey days; completion improved with set completion days and targeted reminder messages. Together, these steps improved survey completion from 40% in December 2020 to 65% in April 2022. We describe key lessons learned to inform future study designs with mobile phone EMAs, drawing on our experience implementing such among adolescent boys, including persons living with HIV, in a low-and-middle income setting. The key lessons learned through the Tsamaisano study are important to inform future study designs with EMA utilizing mobile phone, electronic data collection among adolescent boys in low-and-middle-income settings.

VISUAL RHETORIC OF ‘GUS’ AS POLITICAL IMAGE: ISLAM-NATIONALIST OR COMMODIFYING ISLAM

The rise of Islam-nationalist ideology in Indonesia's political contestation brings various Muslim figures to be involved. One of the most popular in the 2024 General Election is the appearance of ‘Gus’ as a representation of youth and religious politicians. This research focused on the construction of ‘Gus’ as a political image, and explored how their public relations team used visuals as an essential channel for storytelling, persuading, and image building. Adopting the agenda-setting theories and Burke’s dramatist pentad, this research draws the visual framing, answering ‘what is shown’ to the public and ‘how it is characterized’ as a presentation in social media. This research conducts the qualitative data analysis of four figures: Gus Muhaimin Iskandar, Gus Saifullah Yusuf, Gus Taj Yasin Maimoen, and Gus Ahmad Mudlor Ali. As a result, this research validates that the PR team used socially mediated images to build images based on “Islamic idealism”, the power of a local strongman, the leadership, and the point of view to legitimize their political position. To understand the political visual rhetoric, this research adopted the pentadic reading by looking at the element of social media post. It identifies the commodification goals of every figure, and shows where messaging priorities lies.