Youth Transitions in Protracted Crises

This participatory, youth-led research was undertaken with young refugees aged 10–24 from Somalia and Democratic Republic of Congo in Uganda, and in Jordan, from Syria, Iraq and Palestinians from Gaza. Young participants were living in refugee settlements and urban settings, with 505 young people involved in surveys, 80 in focus groups, 92 giving narrative interviews and 25 contributing to the online story map. 

The research provided new conceptual insights into the processes of transition and the specific challenges encountered by children and youth affected by protracted displacement. Please see the project outputs and a brief summary below.

The story map highlights 14 stories – seven from each country – providing a deep insight into refugee youth experiences, as they explore barriers to education, work and livelihoods, aspirations for marriage, identity and belonging. 

Project outputs

• Young refugees in Jordan and Uganda: A story map
• Methodology Report 
• Policy Briefing
• Synthesis Report 

Related academic articles

• van Blerk, L., Hunter, J., Shand, W. & Prazeres, L. (2023). Creating stories for impact: Co-producing knowledge with young people through story mapping.  (Open Access) Area, 55, 99–107.
• van Blerk, L., Shand, W., Prazeres, L., Bukenya, B., Essaid, A.A., Hunter, J., et al. (2022). Youth transitions in protracted crises: conceptualising the ‘rupture’ of refugees’ pathways to adulthood in Uganda and Jordan. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, 47, 315–330. 
• Shand, W., van Blerk, L., Prazeres, L., Bukenya, B., Ibrahim, R., Hunter, J., Essaid, A.A., Kasirye, R. (2021). The Effects of Limited Work Opportunities on Transitions to Adulthood among Young Refugees in Uganda and Jordan. Journal of Refugee Studies, 34(2), 1999–2017. 

Key Findings

Uganda

• Education: Participants recognised the importance of education both as a marker of transition to adulthood and for employment. Barriers to education included: loss of certificates, hidden costs within a ‘free’ education system, language barriers, discrimination and harassment, conflicting home responsibilities, and a lack of school places, particularly in Nakivale, the rural camp settlement.
• Work and livelihoods: Young refugees found their transitions into work frustrated by the lack of opportunities in both urban and camp settings, unfinished education, lack of social connections, discrimination, and language barriers.
• Family life: Marriage and family formation establishes social status, unavailable to young refugees because of dowry and wedding expenses, conflicts with future aspirations such as permanent relocation, discrimination, and instability and economic precarity.

Jordan

• Education: Young people identified barriers including the loss of documentation from home countries, meaning that they were unable to evidence their previous academic achievements and placed inappropriately. A two-shift system, where refugees were given teachers’ second shift, meant teachers were tired and there were limitations on subject choices. Costs of access to higher education; and conflicting family responsibilities were also raised.
• Work and livelihoods: Young refugees struggled to achieve the transition into independent adult life due to limited work available to refugees, a lack of national ID numbers, discrimination, and exploitation in the workplace.
• Family life: Opportunities to marry and establish family life were constrained by the costs of dowry and wedding arrangements; discrimination, lack of assets and stability, and concern that getting married as a refugee closes off other possibilities.

The research identified four conditional factors that shape the transitions of youth into adulthood:

1. Traumatic experiences of becoming and being a refugee. Experiences of violence and loss has a deep effect on young refugees psychological wellbeing. Displacement fractured experiences of growing up, affecting future expectations and sense of belonging and identity.
2. Temporalities. Despite the long-term nature of displacement, temporariness remains central to both humanitarian policy and the expectations of refugees. Strongly held imaginings of a future dependent on returning home, or permanent relocation, lead to disinvestment in the present. The failure to realise imagined futures leads to frustration and risk taking.
3. Social relations and networks. Displacement breaks networks bonds important for social capital, impacting the construction of identity and links to cultural heritage. It can also lead to fractures within refugee communities, particularly where there is experience of discrimination or sectarianism. 
4. Institutional conditions. Institutions have a practical impact on freedom of movement, work, education and the accumulation of assets, and navigating the rules and regulations which govern the everyday activities of refugees impacts transitions and social status.

Conclusions and recommendations

Based on data from young refugees and stakeholders in each country, the research recommendations.

• Improved service integration to develop a holistic approach to service delivery, centred around the needs and experiences of refugees and their families. Engaging community-based providers would aid information, engagement, targeting and planning.
• Address deficits in system capacity, particularly in education, to ensure the availability of fully funded school places at primary and secondary level and scholarships into higher education. 
• Improve relevance and targeting of skills training to connect with labour market demand and young people’s preferences. 
• Create enabling conditions that improve accessibility of transition pathways through education, work and family life by removing bureaucratic barriers.
• Increase the involvement of young people in debate and policy making, recognising the unique value of their direct experience.

 Funded by: DFID (UK Department for International Development)