Torrential rains last week caused a dam to collapse and flood north-east Nigeria, affecting more than four million people in 14 countries. Over 550,000 hectares of cropland were flooded, compounding an existing food security crisis.
"I have never in my life experienced a disaster as terrible as this," writes Yakura*, a UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Youth Peace Champion. Youth Peace Champions are a network of young leaders dedicated to promoting prevention, rehabilitation and reintegration for children affected by adversity.
Yakura is one of tens of thousands of young people taking action in their communities, organizing rescue efforts and distributing essential food and water supplies.
"So many souls lost, so many properties destroyed. But one thing we still have is our resilience. Our resilience shines through even in the face of adversity," she continues.
But where do resilience and adaptability come from? How can we unlock brain science to leverage the powers of youth creativity and cooperation and overcome the multiple crises faced by Yakura’s community and millions of other young people?
The European Brain Council and partner organizations, including UNICEF and UNODC, are joining forces to explore the ways in which brain health and brain science can reshape and improve policy and practice to support the advancement of humanity and the planet. The two entities are co-sponsoring a two-day summit, held from 19 to 20 September at the 79th UN General Assembly, on adolescent brain development and systemic policy change.
A series of UNODC-UNICEF papers being launched at the summit combine neuroscience and mental health research with data; exploration of community-driven innovations; and voices of youth such as Yakura’s from the frontline of climate change, violence and inequality. The papers highlight the potential that scientific understanding of the adolescent brain has for advancing policy change and protecting and uplifting vulnerable children and adolescents.
As Dr. Joanna Lai, Health Specialist at UNICEF explains: “Adolescents are full of potential but at the same time uniquely vulnerable, especially when faced with adverse experiences. To uplift them, we are advocating for policy and practice change across sectors that is based on a deep understanding of their development, ensuring timely, empathetic, and empowering intervention.”
As noted by Alexandra Martins, Global Team Leader, END Violence Against Children at UNODC and co-panelist at the joint session, such research is needed now more than ever: "Hundreds of millions of children and adolescents are not able to grow up in an environment that supports healthy development and protection1. Every seven minutes, an adolescent dies as a result of violence. 15 to 19 year-olds are three times more likely to die violently than 10 to 14-year-olds. 15 million girls are victims of rape in their lifetime. At least 130 million adolescents, between the ages of 13 and 15, endure bullying in school. And we are not even accounting for the trauma being endured by young people affected by climate change and forced displacement."
Chronic stress and violence can profoundly affect the development of the human brain, particularly during early childhood and teenage years. It may disrupt the developmental stages of neural networks; cause physical health degradation and brain aging; and modify learning and social connectedness. In the context of criminal justice and community safety, we know that children and adolescents who offend are disproportionately more likely to have experienced victimization and trauma.
But the adolescent brain, UNODC and UNICEF contend, is not only vulnerable to adversity and violence; it is also resilient, creative and flexible.
As the UNODC-UNICEF papers highlight, adolescents' brains are adaptive and young people are resilient problem-solvers when provided with the proper social support.Adolescents - be they survivors of adversity, violence or crime - can be co-authors and creative agents of policy change and innovation.
It is not only important to build awareness of the way in which adversity, violence and trauma negatively alter adolescent brain development but also to understand that the brain - especially the adolescent brain - is neither a static organ nor a fixed story. Science tells us that the adolescent brain has a unique and adaptive ability to rewire itself on the basis of its environment. A young person's brain is particularly well-designed to rapidly forge new circuitry and behavioral pathways for resilience if health, education and justice systems provide the appropriate support.
Mohammed*, another Nigerian UNODC Youth Peace Champion, recently took part in an innovative peacebuilding training programme that combined neuroeducation with capacity building on the relationship between brain development, chronic stress, adversity and violence. "I was limited and could not see outside the box, but now I'm more open-minded and see things in better proportion,” he says. “I can now understand their [children’s] challenges and come up with a solution for them to be resilient and overcome their challenges and low self-esteem".
“My rehabilitation and reintegration skills have been improved,” he continues. “I'm confident that within the context of insecurity, I can play a significant role in engaging with victims."
Read, share, and download the UNODC-UNICEF papers and advocacy briefs here.
Read the UNODC Strategy to end Violence against Children here.
*Names changed to protect privacy
