PANEX-YOUTH - Adaptations of young people in monetary poor households for surviving and recovering from COVID-19 and associated lockdowns

Abstract

While young people globally have been less affected by COVID-19 health outcomes than older age groups, their livelihoods, shelter, and education have been significantly impacted by COVID-19 preventive and containment policies. The adaptive capacity of young people and their families to respond to the disruptions triggered by the pandemic and the associated policy responses significantly mediates the extent to which young people in urban settlements can "bounce back better" in the future. Place matters here as the living conditions of the most vulnerable have been intrinsically linked with virus propagation, contamination and death. Place also matters as mobility restrictions have meant that living, working and learning spaces shrank to the most immediate surroundings. This project seeks to use an action research methodology to understand how young people (age 10-24) living in low-income households have adapted to life under the pandemic, the tactics used to recover (both temporary and permanent), and their legacy in a post-pandemic context. Beyond understanding, we explore the potentialities of empowering young people in finding new pathways, partnerships and ´structural coupling.' Our thematic focus will be livelihoods, shelter and education, with a specific interest in adaptations in the built environment. We seek to understand this through a dual focus: the lived experiences of diverse young people and insights from non-government bodies and non-profit organizations that focus on this age group. We focus on case studies in three locations: the Free State in South Africa, West Midlands in the UK, and São Paulo state in Brazil. (AU)