Growing up in a never-ending crisis

Abstract

Over the past two decades, young people have faced increasing social and economic instability. Before the world had fully recovered from the tremendous effects of the global financial crisis of 2007-08, it was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. With the effects of such crises being felt unevenly, what are the implications of these challenging times for the educational and professional aspirations of young people in vulnerable situations? To investigate, this paper draws on the lived experiences of young people (15-24 years old) in Portugal, ranging from early leavers from education and training to students currently enrolled both in mainstream schools and other educational institutions. The qualitative data used are drawn from two distinct research projects. By combining these two data sets, we have expanded our understanding of the impact of these crises on young people’s aspirations and educational trajectories. The findings indicate that, within the framework of successive economic, political and social crises, pre-existing situations of social vulnerability tend to intensify and may lead to disengagement from school, and even dropping out. Often, the need to help support their families leads many young people to enter a competitive and highly precarious labour market. This article renders visible the impact that structural and systemic factors – intrinsically linked to issues of inequality and social injustice – can have on the educational aspirations and trajectories of young people in a society in which ‘being in crisis’ has somehow become the new norm.