ListenUP! for Youth Wellbeing

Led by McGill’s School of Population and Global Health, an international and highly cross-disciplinary group of researchers have come together with policy makers and youth organizations globally to transform the way in which youth mental health research is conducted by supporting interdisciplinary, resilience-focused and context-sensitive approaches, with attention to diverse, meaningful and ethical youth engagement.

ListenUP! members engage in collaborative, youth-engaged, research projects aimed at addressing gaps, strengthening the youth mental health and well-being evidence base, and producing guidelines for assessing and developing future policy and approaches. Collaboration with key policymakers, funders and youth organizations globally, as well as international research partners (currently in Montreal, Yellowknife, Nairobi, Dhaka and London), will be expanded throughout the initiative to maximize project relevance, reach and impact.

WHY?

The need to support the wellbeing and resilience of young people is an urgent policy concern, and even more so in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Governments, international institutions, youth leaders and networks globally are coming together to develop new approaches to support youth mental health, and youth are being increasingly engaged and “listened-to” in these processes. Less clear is whether youth perspectives are reflected in the evidence informing funding, policy and intervention approaches. Is current research providing insight on solutions that respond to the lived-experience of young people from different cultures and contexts, and embracing the broader issues of well-being and resilience? While there is now active listening to and engaging of youth in developing new approaches, are efforts to do so ethically informed, effective, meaningful and sensitive to youth of different backgrounds, ability, and gender? These are critical evidence-related issues that need to be addressed so that policies and programs effectively support youth wellbeing and resilience in the post-pandemic period.

OUR VALUES

• Cross-disciplinarity - necessary to address complexity of youth mental wellbeing
• Youth-led/centered approaches - youth are at the table and are engaged in research
• Reflecting a diversity of voices - youth needs and experiences are context specific, and youth experience multiple and intersecting identities, vulnerabilities and challenges
• Innovation - is possible when youth are engaged in designing youth responsive solutions
• Strong knowledge translation - whereby youth-informed research engages with policy/practice decision-makers and processes