The COVID-19 pandemic reshaped the world in unexpected ways, impacting daily life and prompting a reevaluation of societal functions. For young people, it brought both significant challenges and new opportunities, especially in activism and civic engagement. A scoping review published in the Journal of Research on Adolescence in December 2024 explores how the pandemic influenced youth involvement in their communities. Here are the key findings from that review.

A Challenge and an Opportunity for Youth Engagement

The COVID-19 pandemic initially seemed like a setback for youth civic engagement, as lockdowns limited social interactions, protests were canceled, and volunteering opportunities shrank. Traditional ways of community involvement, like activism and face-to-face dialogue, were severely restricted. Access to basic resources, including education and healthcare, also became more difficult. Despite these challenges, young people demonstrated remarkable resilience and adaptability. Research reviewed in the JRA scoping review, including 27 studies, one thought piece, and four global organizations showed that the pandemic raised awareness of issues like social inequality, racial discrimination, and the need for collective action. Critical consciousness, amplified by the pandemic, encouraged many young people to engage more deeply with social causes and prompted a renewed sense of civic responsibility.

Factors Supporting Civic Engagement – and their cultural relevance

As the pandemic shifted how young people engaged with their communities, several key factors supported this engagement, including individual resources such as agency, critical reflection, and creativity, as well as institutional and community support. The review revealed that how youth are involved in civic engagement and the factors that support them vary a lot depending on the socio-cultural context in which they were embedded. In high-income countries, the focus was mostly on building individual resources and competencies. Young people in these contexts were able to leverage institutional support, online learning, and personal development programs that helped them engage more effectively with society. Many of these programs focused on leadership, becoming more aware of social issues, and fostering personal growth.

In low- to middle-income countries, things were a bit different. With less institutional support available, young people had to rely on their own resources, support from family networks, local organizations, and grassroots efforts. Collaborative efforts became key to responding to the pandemic, with young people often taking the lead in organizing community relief efforts and advocating for resources. Despite the lack of formal institutional support, the collective action displayed in these contexts demonstrated the adaptability and resourcefulness of young people when faced with adversity. While the pandemic revealed the gaps in institutional resources, it also demonstrated the power of community-based action and youth-led initiatives.

This contrast highlights the importance of understanding the local context when it comes to supporting youth engagement. While high-income countries might focus on providing resources to enhance individual skill development, places with fewer resources may need to prioritize building up community efforts and local support systems.

Young People as Active Agents of Change

Young people demonstrated incredible agency during the pandemic. Whether it was through online activism, volunteerism, or leadership in local initiatives, they found ways to make a real impact on the challenges we were all facing.

This dynamic interaction between young people and their communities shows that youth engagement is pivotal for addressing the challenges of the moment. It’s also about fostering long-term change and empowering young people to be actively involved in their communities, to have a voice, and to make a contribution even as the pandemic fades into the past. Young people’s involvement in addressing social inequalities, health crises, and community needs has set the stage for a new era of civic engagement—one that is driven by creativity, resilience, and digital innovation.

From Crisis to Catalyst: Youth Driving Long Term Change

Young people play a vital role in addressing the challenges we face today. The pandemic has showcased their remarkable adaptability, positioning them as key drivers of transformative change.  By supporting both individual and collective forms of civic engagement, societies can help to ensure that young people continue to be empowered to take action, whether in times of crisis or in building more equitable, just, and disaster-resilient communities. Engaging young people will give them the power to support themselves, their families, their communities, and society at large.

All authors acknowledge the support received from the Society for Research on Adolescence and the John Templeton Foundation for funding through the ICDSS/SRA COVID-19 Scholars Program.

Read the full paper here: https://doi.org/10.1111/jora.13039

First Author: Ingrid Schoon

Ingrid Schoon is Professor of Social Policy at University College London, Social Research Institute. She is an ISSBD Fellow, a Fellow of the British Academy of Social Sciences (FAcSS), and the Social Science Centre (WZB) in Berlin. Her research focuses on the study of risk and resilience in the transition to adulthood, social inequalities in skill development, attainment, and wellbeing. She has published widely, including a monograph on 'Risk and Resilience' (2006); co-edited books on “Young People’s Development and the Great Recession: Uncertain Transitions and Precarious Futures” (2017) with John Bynner; “Gender differences in aspirations and attainment: A longitudinal perspective” (2014) with Jacquelynne Eccles; “Transitions from School to Work: Globalisation, Individualisation, and Patterns of Diversity” (2009) with Rainer K. Silbereisen; all published by Cambridge University Press. 

Second Author: Shanu Shukla

Shanu Shukla, Ph.D. is a Marie Sklodowska Curie Action Postdoctoral Research Fellow within the IRTIS Team at the Faculty of Social Studies, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic. She has previously held prestigious fellowships, including the SRA COVID-19 Network Early Career Scholars Fellowship and the Fulbright-Nehru Research Fellowship. Dr. Shukla is engaged in cross-cultural research initiatives related to COVID-19 and is committed to mentoring and collaborating with researchers worldwide. Dr. Shukla also serves on the editorial team of the International Society for the Study of Behavioral Development (ISSBD) Bulletin.

Third Author: Suman Verma

Suman Verma is a Developmental Psychologist, and her research is in the areas of child work, adolescent family life, school stress, adolescent abuse, intervention studies using life skills education approaches, PYD, and social policy. She was a two-time fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, Stanford. As a member of a cross-cultural group, she conducted a study on Learning under Conditions of COVID-19 among Indian Adolescents in 2020. She is an ISSBD Fellow on the editorial board of Zeitschrift für Psychologie, IJBD, and Psychological Science. Her book on Developmental Science and Sustainable Development Goals for Children and Youth with Anne Petersen (2018) addresses developmental issues of vulnerable youth with a focus on LMICs. She is a steering committee member of DevSCA. Currently she is an associate editor of the IJBD and one of the guest editors of a special issue on COVID-19 of JRA. 

Fourth Author: Eden Hulipas Terol

Eden Hulipas Terol, PhD, RPsy, is an Assistant Professor of Applied Psychology at the University of the Philippines-Clark. Her research focuses on culturally grounded initiatives in mental health, youth development, women’s and children’s issues, and Indigenous studies. She is a Research Fellow of the Association for Asian Studies (AAS), a recipient of the Society for Research on Adolescence (SRA) International Young Scholars Program (2022–2023), and a member of the SRA COVID-19 Global Scholars cohort. Dr. Terol serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Social Issues and is part of the editorial team for a special issue of the Journal of Research on Adolescence (JRA), where she will serve as a Consulting Editor in 2025.

Fifth Author: Josafa Cunha

Josafa da Cunha is a Professor of Educational Psychology at the Universidade Federal do Paraná and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, Graduate Program of Developmental Psychology. His primary areas of research include discrimination, bullying and victimization among peers, relationships between students and their teachers, ethnic diversity, and academic performance. He is a member of the Society for Research of Adolescence, the International Society for the Study of Behavioral Development, and the Society for Research in Child Development, as well as the Brazilian Association of Developmental Psychology, Brazilian Association of Educational Psychology, Brazilian Psychological Society, and the Brazilian Association for Prevention Research.