In it together: Exploring how belonging to a youth activist group enhances well-being

Abstract

Despite some evidence that being an activist, particularly during adolescence, can positively affect well-being, activism has been rel- atively neglected in both psychology and youth civic engagement research. This study aimed to address this gap by exploring how being an activist as a teenager can positively affect personal devel- opment and well-being. Seven focus groups comprising adolescent humanrights activistswere conducted in classrooms throughout the United Kingdom. Inductive thematic analysis was used to identify four dominant themes-A place to go, Power in numbers, Skilling- up, and In it together¿which are discussed in relation to existing lit- erature. Because findings from this study suggest that there are a number of positive psychological benefits to being a youth activist, implications for psychology and youth civic engagement are also considered.