Welcome to the 5th Journal of Youth Studies International Conference 2027

It is with great pleasure that we welcome you to Journal of Youth Studies (JYS) International Conference 2027 at the University of Porto, Portugal. JYS, CIIE/JEDi, FPCEUP and ROOTS project are delighted to bring together a vibrant community of researchers, policymakers, students, educators, practitioners and others with an interest in Youth Studies to share knowledge, spark meaningful debate, and showcase the latest developments in this field.

About the conference

Young people are growing up in a global context where democracy and critical and independent thinking are under attack. They exist in a world of conflicts where peace, safety, fundamental rights, trustworthy institutions, the welfare state and a secure and democratic future are not guaranteed. Their live are becoming unrooted and insecure and their voices are rarely heard. They are among those most affected by intersecting forms of discrimination, marginalisation and poverty, and are victims of waves of disruption that interrupt their lives and educational and employment pathways. This conference – the 5th that the Journal of Youth Studies has sponsored - will provide the opportunity to discuss, debate and further our knowledge about young people’s current lives and circumstances - and the futures that they might face. It will provide space to investigate the role that young people – and community organisations and social welfare and education professionals that work with young people - can play in creating a safer, more secure and more socially just world.

Over three days, the ROOTS & VOICES conference will encourage engagement, debate, learning (and conviviality!). Critical youth studies scholars and education, youth work and community practitioners will come together to share theories, methodologies, research findings and community projects and, in a fast-changing world, to take stock of what we know and what can be done. The conference will be broad in scope and inclusive of a wide range of interests, including, for example:

1. Youth politics, activism and democracy
2. Youth transitions, social mobility and the life-course
3. Youth work, professionals and community intervention
4. Intersecting identities/ intersecting crises
5. Youth, sexualities and gender
6. Place, inequality and spatial justice
7. Youth in conflict and post-conflict societies
8. Youth culture, identities and belonging
9. Youth futures and social policy for youth
10. Young people, schools and communities
11. Intergenerational inequalities and solidarities
12. Violence and social harm
13. Social class, poverty and marginalisation
14. Migration, citizenship and youth rights
15. Digital youth, innovation and literacies