Youth

The attributes often associated with youth, such as a fresh-faced appearance, high energy or vigour, an appetite for adventure and excitement, inexperience and foolishness, and awkwardness or lack of maturity, are neither fixed nor universally experienced. Similar disparities can be found in research about youth and related theory. ‘Youth’ has had different meanings and values over time and place, with variously constructed and often fluid boundaries, such as age or physical maturity, readiness for independent living, or capacity for responsible citizenship. Attitudes and perceptions of youth within changing social and cultural contexts can also be affected by individuals’ identities and circumstances. Youth has been understood as a relational concept providing some overlapping distinctions for people between childhood and adulthood. Youth are often assigned certain shared ...