Please see call below for a special issue of Social Sciences journal from our colleagues in the youth and community work academic sector:

We are looking to bring together a series of cutting-edge articles that celebrate the distinctive contribution of those researching and working with marginalised young people. We hope to explore the diverse lives (and challenges) faced by young people and emergent and contemporary practice responses. We would like you to contribute to this Special Edition of the Journal of Social Sciences.

The timescales are as follows:

• Abstract Submission by Friday 12^th December 2025 here
• Feedback from the EOIs by 23^rd January 2026
• Final papers are due no later than 30 September 2026 for peer review

This Special Issue aims to critically interrogate the forces that produce and sustain marginalisation, foregrounding the lived experiences of young people whose voices are too often ignored or dismissed. We will focus on the intersectional realities of marginalised youth and examine how overlapping inequalities such as poverty, race, gender, disability, geographical disadvantage, and systemic injustice have compounded disadvantages and restricted life chances, particularly in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. We think many academics, policy makers, students, and practitioners will recognise the challenge facing today’s young people, particularly for those for whom their education journey was impacted by lockdown. This Special Issue seeks to explore the impact of this, and other factors, in the hope that we can find positive messages which show young people thriving once more.

Contributions will be invited that cover (but are not limited to) one or more of the following themes:

• Cultural difference, gender, race, class;
• The ‘Lost Generation’;
• Young carers and care leavers;
• Contemporary social issues, e.g., homelessness;
• Marginalised/disaffected young people and social movements, e.g., Black Lives Matter;
• Far right movements, protest, and populism;
• Young people in conflict zones;
• Mental health and wellbeing;
• Social media and digital cultures;
• Autism and neurodiversity/neurotypicality;
• LGBTQ+;
• Disability;
• Transgender experiences;
• Gender and identity;
• Creative and contemporary practices that support young people.

Please note there is no article processing charge (APC) for contributors to this special issue.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss your contribution further, please do not hesitate to contact any of the guest editors, they are:

Dr Jean Harris-Evans email –  Jean.Harris-Evans@shu.ac.uk

Professor Alan Smith email –  a.s.smith@leedsbeckett.ac.uk

Christine Smith email –  Christine.smith@hull.ac.uk