This literature review examines 84 peer-reviewed studies of Black youth activism in the United States, published from 2012 to 2023. Data were extracted from EBSCO, ERIC, and Web of Science using search terms related to “Black”, “youth”, and “activism”. The review identifies the disciplines where studies were published, publication trends, major theories used, types and scopes of activism studied, and the anticipated roles of Black youth in these activism efforts, as well as the intersectionality of the activism. It highlights the dispersed nature of the field, the local focus of most activism studied, and the notable prominence of youth-led initiatives. Many studies described youth or youth with adults as the primary initiators of activism, with Black youth participating both through existing frameworks or by leading efforts themselves. The findings underscore the need for more research specifically on youth-led initiatives to fully understand the scope and impact of Black youth activism.

In the past decade, youth activism has gained visibility in European public discourse. It has also been integrated into the UN's Sustainable Development Goals under the Global Citizenship Education framework. Nonetheless, we have only a limited understanding of young people's own perceptions of activism and its manifestations. We investigate perceptions of activism among German secondary school students, employing thematic analysis to analyze data from 25 discussion groups, each composed of 4 to 8 students aged 14-20 from various educational institutions across Germany (n = 141), identifying three predominant themes: (a) A normative perception of activism whereby students distinguish themselves from “the other” peers in countries deprived of adequate education and the conditions necessary for activism. (b) A narrow view of global citizenship – students note stark differences between themselves and populations outside the Global North, rather than embracing a shared global identity. (c) An uncritical acceptance of conventional conceptions of activism, in both actions undertaken and causes deemed worthy of activism. Using Bourdieu’s concepts of habitus and field, we offer insights to support further implementation of Global Citizenship Education.

Global citizenship education (GCE) has become a key topic in educational discourse, especially since its inclusion in the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This scoping literature review analyses 43 articles published between 2012 and 2023 on school-age youth activism within GCE literature. Articles were sourced from the EBSCO, ERIC, and WoS databases, using keywords related to youth, activism, and GCE. The review finds that research on GCE programmes focused on promoting forms of activism found them to be resource-intensive and predominantly based in affluent schools in the Global North. Programmes featured in the studies often emphasise social sciences and promote student activism in topics such as climate change and human rights. Activism depicted in these studies largely excludes the epistemological questioning necessary for Global North–South cooperation, being confined to specific subjects and contexts. The review calls for more research on school-age youth activism within the GCE framework and for the development of new programmes addressing activism in various contexts and in more nuanced ways.

Formal school spaces are often limited in preparing youth for critical engagement and activism due to standardized curricula, constrained resources, and politicized pressures. Nonformal learning environments, specifically extracurricular clubs, remain underexplored as spaces for youth activism. This study investigates how extracurricular clubs in high schools function as third spaces for learning about social justice issues and engaging in collective action. Using reflexive thematic analysis, we analyzed twelve discussion groups with 63 high school students involved in extracurricular clubs. Findings suggest that club participation fosters critical engagement, activism-related knowledge and skills, and a justice-oriented approach to local and global issues, with promise for enhanced global citizenship. However, specific conditions influence youth interest, retention, and action. Implications highlight the need for educational institutions to support third-space opportunities for youth activism.

This study applies social movement theory to examine how young Italian activists embody and reconfigure global narratives within their specific contexts. Over 6 months in 2024, we conducted three in-depth interviews with each of 10 activists and analysed their online activities on social media. During the interviews, participants reflected on their social media posts related to their activism. Using a thematic analysis of the interview transcripts and their online posts, we illustrate how these activists strategically frame their agendas as both local and specific, while effectively employing the language of global justice campaigns. The study further investigates how their activities and perceptions are closely linked with their interactions with diverse actors (organisations and individuals), and how these young activists cultivate a range of connections to amplify their messages and engage with local audiences. The various modes of communication used by these activists show how local agendas resonate with global movements, ultimately fostering sustained collective action, particularly around environmental and gender issues.

This study used a qualitative approach to examine health promotion policies in the Israeli education system, analysing 24 written policy documents (2011–2023) and conducting semi-structured interviews with senior policymakers. The analysis revealed that policy documents did not address health promotion in a multicultural society, and programme evaluations have not been conducted for over a decade. Additionally, there is a lack of knowledge about policy implementation in schools serving minority or low-income students. Although the policy addresses minorities, practical responses for groups, such as immigrants and Israeli Palestinians in peripheral areas are inadequate. We also found significant involvement of external entities and third-sector organisations that implement these policies with limited oversight. Furthermore, the findings suggest that the policies emphasise urgency and place responsibility on schools for promoting healthy lifestyles, yet some health issues are omitted. Findings suggest potential health disparities between ethnic and socioeconomic groups, viewed through an intersectional lens.

Teacher mobility is a widespread and growing phenomenon. This study sought to examine professional identity construction processes among mobile teachers across various contexts. Using the concepts of motility and viscosity, we examined three cohorts teaching abroad in different contexts – a national organization context, a private organization context, and a familial context (due to spouse-driven expatriation). We explored the processes of constructing a professional identity through the lens of a dialogue between teachers and their work environment. We found that context plays a central role in establishing teachers’ motility capital and results in different professional identity conceptualizations. We contribute to the literature by highlighting how varying migration contexts shape migrant teachers’ professional identity construction. By emphasizing the influence of context on identity negotiation strategies, the study underscores the need for schools and organizations to develop models that support the construction of optimal professional identities among mobile teachers. Additionally, the findings have significant implications for educational policy and practice, calling for context-sensitive support models to better integrate and empower migrant teachers in diverse educational systems.

The fall of the Soviet bloc brought a sense of optimism for the establishment of open and democratic civil societies; however, the transition has been inconsistent and varied across the region. Some countries have embraced Western democratic and capitalist principles while others have encountered significant political challenges and setbacks. For young people, these diverse paths of development have led to both political engagement and apathy. In this systematic literature review (SLR) we aim to depict the state of research on school-age youth activism (YA) in post-socialist countries. Following PRISMA guidelines, we conducted our search using three databases: Web of Science, EBSCO, and ERIC. The screening process resulted in 121 eligible papers. Our comparative analysis of peer-reviewed journal publications about YA in EU and non-EU post-socialist countries underscores the complexity of youth activism in post-socialist countries, revealing distinct research focuses and methodological disparities between EU and non-EU contexts. Our review challenges the notion of a uniform post-socialist landscape. Findings indicate that publications on non-EU countries often emphasise political events and youth organisations, such as the Euromaidan in Ukraine or groups like Nashi. In contrast, studies from EU countries tend to cover a wider range of topics but focus more on youth civic engagement and its deficiencies. Essentially, research from non-EU contexts highlights politically active youth, whereas EU-focused studies explore the reasons for political apathy and potential solutions. Additionally, papers on EU countries generally exhibit higher methodological rigour compared to those on non-EU countries.

This Special Issue brings together a collection of theoretical and empirical articles that variously apply, critique, and extend the concept of cosmopolitan nationalism. They mainly build on Maxwell, Yemini, Engel, and Lee’s (Citation2020) work that laid out the conceptual underpinnings of cosmopolitan nationalism and a growing body of work that has used it as an analytical lens to view education in an increasingly interconnected world (Poole & Qin, Citation2024; Wright, Lin, & Lu, Citation2024; Wright, Ma, & Auld, Citation2022; Yemini, Engel, Lee, & Maxwell, Citation2021; Yemini, Maxwell, Wright, Engel, & Lee, Citation2024). The overarching objective was to move beyond a portrayal of cosmopolitanism and nationalism as diametrically opposed to one another. The national and the global have so frequently been held in binary terms, dating back to decades-old discussions related to globalisation and debates over the weak-state vs. the strong-state in education policy formation (Engel, Citation2009). Scholars have continued to grapple with global education reforms in national spaces, seeking to understand the complex ways that global, national, and local ideas intersect, compete, marry, and become championed or resisted across different systems (e.g., Rizvi & Lingard, Citation2009; Tröhler, Piattoeva, & Pinar, Citation2022; Verger, Lubienski, & Steiner-Khamsi, Citation2016). Rather than being an oxymoron, cosmopolitan nationalism is put forward in this Special Issue as an analytical lens to understand the ambivalent values, motives, and/or processes that inform education policy and practice. Specifically, it refers to the

Cosmopolitanism and nationalism are often presented in binary terms, as standing in opposition to each other, especially with regards to education. In this paper, we establish a framework for studying education policy today through the lens of a concept we have developed: ‘cosmopolitan nationalism’. Many education systems around the world are grappling with and simultaneously integrating both cosmopolitan and nationalist elements in policy objectives, curricular content and pedagogic approaches. Through an in-depth analysis of three country examples – China, the US and Israel – we outline four different manifestations of education policy that can be explained by employing the analytical lens of cosmopolitan nationalism: (i) the increasing prominence and visibility of the International Baccalaureate within these three public education systems; (ii) reforms of specific curricula elements and pedagogies legitimised with reference to approaches assessed as globally leading through international assessments; (iii) efforts to promote national education systems as international beacons of best practice; (iv) creation of alternative education provisions that are promoted globally for very specific purposes and populations. We argue that, given our heterogeneous sample of case study countries, and careful analysis of these, a cosmopolitan nationalism lens offers important insights into education policy-making today which has the potential to be applied in other contexts.