Crisis coping for marginalised youth: living and learning through COVID-19

Young people aged between 12 and 18 who are marginalised are at high risk during the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, and there is evidence that the most marginalised are becoming increasingly disconnected from school. A project funded by the Health Research Board and the Irish Research Council will work with marginalised young people and their parents to come up with ways of coping and improving wellbeing. The results will be tailor-made approaches and supports for marginalised young people, as well as evidence to inform policymakers and provide tools for important stakeholders, such as teachers and parents. What is the issue? Young people who are marginalised are at risk of disengaging from school, and from society more generally, during the COVID-19 pandemic. What will the research project do? The research will work with marginalised young people and their families to come up with new ways to support those at risk. What will the impact be? By developing solutions with marginalised young people, the project can inform strategies that can help them engage with school and reduce the risk of disengagement. The research is led by NUI Galway Professors Pat Dolan and Gerry Mac Ruairc. Professor Pat Dolan, Director of the UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre, NUI Galway, comments: "The pandemic has posed very particular threats to the education and wellbeing of marginalised youth in Ireland." Professor Gerry MacRuairc of the School of Education NUI Galway adds: "This project is a unique opportunity not just to research the problem but, working directly with youth and their schools, to come up with real-world, practical solutions."