The role of family and community in socioeconomic resilience for vulnerable adolescents

• In Event: Unpacking resilience: a social-ecological approach to understanding the ‘best practice’ strategies, supports, and resources that foster adolescent learning & wellbeing

Proposal

In 2016, 263 million children and adolescents (6-18 years) were out of school,
Representing nearly one-fifth of the global population of this age group (UNESCO, 2018). Of this group, nearly 75% were adolescents (12-18 years). These adolescents have limited formal socioeconomic opportunities, are often unable to access systems and structures (JPAL, 2013). They also lack foundational skills that could support them to pursue the futures they envisage for themselves (UNESCO, 2012). In rural contexts, many adolescents have significant responsibilities in their homes, family farms, or family businesses; they may also move in and out of different informal experiences and seek income from a variety of sources. However, many of these adolescents are unable to find pathways out of poverty or are unable to explore social and economic opportunities to realize their goals (ILO, 2015). Many adolescents in the majority world are already out of school and are trying to provide for themselves and their families. Being under the recognized age of majority in most countries, they are often at risk of being engaged in hazardous work (FAO, 2016). However, this stage in life is typically decisive in how adolescents will transition from school to work and for the likelihood of transiting out of poverty.

What does resilience mean for these vulnerable adolescents? What role do family and community play in the ways in which these adolescents navigate a pathway to wellbeing? In this presentation, I will unpack the role that families and communities play in out-of-school, rural adolescents building key social and emotional skills, skills that support their livelihood development. We will use the Youth in Action (YiA) program as a case study. YiA was a six-year program implemented by Save the Children in partnership with Mastercard Foundation. The goal of YiA was to improve the socioeconomic status of around 40,000 out-of-school young people (12-18 years), both girls and boys, in rural Burkina Faso, Egypt, Ethiopia, Malawi, and Uganda.

Through secondary analysis of data collected through qualitative and quantitative research approaches, I demonstrate that family and community members are gatekeepers for adolescent livelihood development. Participating in accelerated education programs that actively involve the relationships in the proximal environment can help adolescents establish a reputation for being hard working and responsible, thereby getting additional monetary, physical, and emotional support from family members for livelihood activities. I end with a discussion of how interventions can more strategically and explicitly incorporate the family and community in furthering adolescent resilience in the context of their livelihood development.

Author

• Nikhit D'Sa, Save the Children