Author Archives: youthforsdg

Drug misuse and suicidal behaviour more common on the anniversary of a parent’s death – new research

Scott Montgomery, UCL Losing a parent during adolescence and young adulthood can be particularly damaging to mental health and wellbeing. Our latest research has now shown that young people who lost a parent were more likely to be admitted to hospital for treatment for substance misuse use problems or suicidal behaviour around the anniversary ofContinue reading “Drug misuse and suicidal behaviour more common on the anniversary of a parent’s death – new research”

Face masks affect how children understand speech differently from adults – new research

Julia Schwarz, University of Cambridge While mask-wearing is no longer required in many locations, it remains in use as a way to limit the spread of COVID-19. One of the criticisms of masks has been that they make communication more difficult. A recent report by the UK Department for Education, for example, suggests that maskContinue reading “Face masks affect how children understand speech differently from adults – new research”

Monkeypox: World Health Organization declares it a global health emergency – here’s what that means

Paul Hunter, University of East Anglia The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the current monkeypox epidemic a global health emergency. The committee of independent advisers who met on Thursday July 21 2022, were split on their decision on whether to call the growing monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) –Continue reading “Monkeypox: World Health Organization declares it a global health emergency – here’s what that means”

All Creatures Great and Small at 50: why these stories about a country vet still charm today

Helen Young, Deakin University When Mum was pregnant with me, Dad bought her a paperback copy of James Herriot’s All Creatures Great and Small because it was an easy, pleasant read. I read my mother’s Pan paperback copy, with its cover image of sheep, farmers, and the vet’s vintage car, when I was growing up.Continue reading “All Creatures Great and Small at 50: why these stories about a country vet still charm today”

Raising the age of criminal responsibility is only a first step. First Nations kids need cultural solutions

Lorelle Holland, The University of Queensland and Maree Toombs, The University of Queensland In some Australian states, children can legally be detained from the age of ten years old. This has led to over-policing and over-incarceration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. First Nations children represent 50% of youth incarcerated during 2021. Incarcerating childrenContinue reading “Raising the age of criminal responsibility is only a first step. First Nations kids need cultural solutions”

Hope from despair: how young people are taking action to make things better

Caron Gentry, Northumbria University, Newcastle All too often, hope is equated to a desire for something fleeting: good results on an exam, the win of a favourite team, the wanted present. Quite whether something so insubstantial can actually be called “hope”, though, is a question that has taken on particular poignancy over the last twoContinue reading “Hope from despair: how young people are taking action to make things better”

Coronavirus weekly: where next for globalisation after the crisis?

Camille Khodor, The Conversation; Gemma Ware, The Conversation, and Thibault Lieurade, The Conversation As lockdown measures start to be eased in most countries around the world, the experts of The Conversation’s global network have focused this week on the major trends that are reshaping trade and the global economy. Just before the pandemic struck, theContinue reading “Coronavirus weekly: where next for globalisation after the crisis?”

Insights from Zimbabwe on how to link formal and informal economies

In 2003, Thabo Mbeki–then president of South Africa – described South Africa’s economy as being like a two-storey house. The top floor was quite plush, with all the fittings packed neatly together. He referred to this as the modern, diversified economy within South Africa. Below that level, however, was an informal economy where the poor were trapped in poverty, with little or no skills.