Commentary
A clear direction, a renewed identity
How can Fondation Botnar contribute to lasting change in young people’s lives?
u'GOOD
Research
u'GOOD explores wellbeing through relationships and context.
Launched in 2023, u'GOOD is a five-year research initiative exploring the relational wellbeing of young people in the Global South. It examines how a person’s wellbeing is shaped by relationships, communities, and environments, rather than viewing it primarily as an individual experience. u’GOOD focuses on young people aged 10 to 24 in urban and surrounding areas, and looks at four thematic areas shaping their lives: livelihoods, mental health, digitalisation and climate change.
- Partner
- National Research Foundation of South Africa, Human Sciences Research Council of South Africa
- Working in
- Colombia, Ecuador, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Romania, Tanzania, South Africa, Vietnam
- Approach
- Youth-centred research, capacity-building and shared learning
- Focus
- Young people's relational wellbeing in the Global South
- Programme period
- 2023-2028
Challenge
Young people in the Global South remain underrepresented in wellbeing research
Over 90 percent of the world's young people live in the Global South, yet most research into youth wellbeing is done in and about the Global North. This matters because wellbeing is shaped by social, economic, cultural and environmental contexts. u’Good aims to help address this gap by supporting research grounded in the realities of the Global South and examining not only the challenges young people face, but also the relationships, resources and strategies through which they navigate them.
Young people are not only the focus of u’GOOD’s research – they help shape how the research is designed, conducted and shared.
Approach
Building research from the Global South
The u’GOOD research programme funds 23 projects in nine countries, developing and testing a relational approach to understanding young people’s wellbeing. The research projects are grounded in the realities and perspectives of the Global South and involve young people in the research process. In addition to funding individual projects, u’GOOD is establishing a community of researchers and young people to strengthen research capabilities, exchange methods and findings, and develop relational wellbeing as an approach that can inform future research, policy and practice.
External Resources
