Nature-based interventions can promote the well-being of young people in precarious situations
The world faces multiple crises, including climate change, biodiversity loss, pandemics, insecurities, and economic difficulties, that disproportionately affect the well-being of young people in precarious situations. In Finland, such young people avoid school, struggle to find jobs, and experience anxiety, depression, loneliness, substance misuse, offending behavior, and even suicide.
James Obeng’s doctoral dissertation argues for strategies that combine social and ecological perspectives to address these challenges. His research demonstrates how nature-based interventions promote well-being among young people in precarious situations. He defines nature-based interventions as an umbrella term representing the use of nature, including animals, plants, and landscapes, alongside other complementary approaches like therapy, education and training, labor market activation, to promote positive health, well-being, and social inclusion.
The research approach was transdisciplinary with a mixed-methods design, including a systematic literature review, semi-structured interviews, case studies, quantitative surveys, and spatial mapping. Participants included young people who were engaged in nature-based youth workshops, students, and employed youth.
Ecosocial answers to address societal challenges
Obeng’s dissertation reveals that nature-based interventions help young people to reconnect with themselves, others, society, and the natural environment.
“The interventions encouraged physical activities in nature, which consequently improved young people’s physical fitness, mental restoration, and sleep quality,” says Obeng.
The findings challenge human-centered assumptions of social well-being by showing that young people in precarious situations often opt for solitude in nature, not as social withdrawal, but in search of deeper connections with more-than-human life.
Beyond individual psychosocial benefits, nature-based interventions create ecosocial pathways for young people to meaningfully participate in society and nature. Activities included environmental management tasks, caring for plants and animals, and seasonal planting, which provided structure, routine, and opportunities to form friendships and receive social support.
An inclusive ecosocial work knowledge base and practice
Obeng argues that social workers should move from managerial practices and get back to nature, where they can collaborate effectively with youth in less stressful and non-threatening natural environments.
The dissertation calls for a globally inclusive praxis, incorporating perspectives from the Global South and Indigenous knowledge systems. Approaches like geospatial mapping can further enhance understanding of youth-nature relationships, essential for promoting well-being in times of crises.
The dissertation has been published as part of the JYU Dissertations series of the University of Jyväskylä and is available here (coming soon).
