The u’GOOD research programme investigates the relational nature of wellbeing, with a specific focus on young people and a fundamental understanding that wellbeing is closely linked to relationships and human connection.

The u’GOOD research programme, a five-year multinational programme that explores how to drive meaningful change in the lives and prospects of youth across the Global South, has awarded grants to 23 research projects across nine countries, the research partners announced on 19 August 2025.

Central to u’GOOD is the active involvement of young people from the Global South and recognition of their capacities to advance solutions to the challenges – economic, political, psychological and ecological – disproportionately faced by their communities. A collaborative and inclusive research approach ensures youth perspectives are at the forefront of efforts to understand and address young people’s specific needs in urban and peri-urban environments.

“By focusing on how best to secure the futures of young people in the Global South, we are exploring how to secure the future of humanity. Ninety percent of the world’s citizens aged between 15 and 24 live in the Global South,” says Dr Dorothy Ngila, director of knowledge and institutional networks at South Africa’s National Research Foundation (NRF).

u’GOOD is co-funded and managed by the NRF, selected for its strength in programme and fund management. It also includes South Africa’s Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), which was chosen for its knowledge, leadership and expertise in human and social sciences research. The majority of the funding is provided by Switzerland-based Fondation Botnar, a philanthropic foundation dedicated to the wellbeing of young people.

This is the first research programme to focus on young people’s relational wellbeing, a concept that encompasses the multidimensional nature of human wellbeing, including social relations, access to public goods, capabilities and attitudes to life and personal relationships.

The programme defines the Global South as a group of nations that tend to have lower levels of economic and industrial development due to historical and structural inequalities, rather than as a geographical term.

“The Global South has collective and cultural resources that could benefit our understanding of wellbeing and how to ensure social wellbeing,” says Professor Sharlene Swartz, the HSRC’s Equitable Education and Economies research division executive.

“Over the past decade, there has been a social research focus on material and subjective wellbeing, but experiences from the Global South have highlighted the limits of these approaches to understanding and intervening to improve social wellbeing. Exploring wellbeing through a relational lens – looking at what people have through or because of others – offers a more inclusive and rounded sense of what it means to be a fulfilled, secure human being.”

Using a relational wellbeing approach, the u’GOOD research programme aims to test and further develop effective approaches to exploring and ensuring young people’s wellbeing in conceptual, methodological and operational terms.

It also aims to generate empirical insights into key contemporary challenges with and for young people’s wellbeing in urban and peri-urban environments, and how young people are addressing these.

The programme will investigate four thematic areas:

    Young people and livelihoods: exploring, in a global context where regular employment is increasingly unavailable, how young people are assembling their livelihoods and what new markers of purpose, meaning and identity are emerging
    Young people and mental health: exploring, where ruptures in traditional forms of socialisation are apparent and community and face-to-face interaction opportunities have diminished, how young people are navigating and constructing the role of connectedness to positive identities and wellbeing
    Young people and digitalisation: investigating the increasing role of digitalisation in society, where access to and inequality in the digital realm will significantly shape opportunities for wellbeing, and where it is important to understand how young people construct themselves as relational subjects in a digital age
    Young people and climate change: looking into how young people’s wellbeing can be sustained and advanced in responses to the climate emergency, and where, for vulnerable groups, including young people, compounding factors endanger their wellbeing, with serious implications for their physical and mental health, education pathways, and livelihood prospects

The research programme comprises 23 projects spanning nine countries: Colombia and Ecuador in South America; Ghana, Tanzania and South Africa in Africa; Indonesia, India and Vietnam in Asia; and Romania in Europe.

A key component of the u’GOOD research programme is fostering a collaborative and participatory approach to learning, capacity-building and engagement to advance current perspectives and methodologies to relational wellbeing. Therefore, a community of practice has been established to provide an ongoing space for consultation, knowledge-sharing and collaboration among professionals with shared goals and practices. The u’GOOD programme invites researchers and scholars in this and related fields to join the community of practice by visiting ugoodresearch.org.

Contact u’GOOD

Email: ugood@nrf.ac.za

National Research Foundation (South Africa)

info@nrf.ac.za

+27 (0)12 481 4315

www.nrf.ac.za

Human Sciences Research Council (South Africa)

innovation@hsrc.ac.za

+27 (0)12 302 2000

www.hsrc.ac.za

Fondation Botnar (Switzerland)

info@fondationbotnar.org

+41 (0)61 201 0474

www.fondationbotnar.org

ENDS

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The 23 projects
1. The relationship between the relational wellbeing of young people and the type of neighbourhood they live in

This study aims to understand how different types of neighbourhoods affect relational wellbeing in youngsters; gain deeper insights into the root causes of social disparities and develop more effective strategies for promoting equity, inclusion and sustainability; and demonstrate to policymakers, researchers and other interested parties the importance of the neighbourhood in relational wellbeing.

Project lead: Dr Carla Hermida, University of Azuay

Country: Ecuador
2. Innovative digital engagement solutions using a relational wellbeing approach

This study aims to explore how using a relational wellbeing approach can improve adolescent mental wellbeing and mental health in urban Vietnam. It also emphasises the dual role of digital technologies: as influencers of youth mental health (e.g. social media and cyberbullying) and as tools for disseminating interventions and enhancing youth engagement, especially where access to traditional care is limited.

Project lead: Huong Nguyen, Hanoi University of Public Health

Country: Vietnam
3. Improving relational wellbeing among young people in dense urban environments

This study explores how climate change-induced distress – especially among youth – is linked to mental health challenges, and how green spaces can mitigate these effects. Young people are particularly vulnerable due to developmental factors, life-stage pressures and socio-economic stressors in high-rent urban areas. While the positive impact of green spaces on wellbeing is well documented, this research specifically investigates their role in enhancing relational wellbeing  in dense urban settings. The study aims to fill two gaps: understanding relational wellbeing in high-density cities and evaluating the impact of microscale green public spaces on relational wellbeing.

Project lead: Dr Surajit Chakravarty, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi

Country: India
4. Social network analysis and participatory action research with young people on the move (YPOM)

This project focuses on understanding and improving the wellbeing of young people on the move (YPOM) in Tanzania, a growing demographic migrating from rural to urban areas due to economic, social and environmental pressures. As they face challenging urban environments, YPOM depend heavily on informal networks of care – based on relational ties and social capital – for support. These networks, though vital, are often overlooked in research and policy. The study aims to address this gap by co-creating a grounded theory of relational wellbeing tailored to YPOM. Insights gained will inform and enhance Railway Children Africa’s Youth Association Model to better meet the relational needs of these young people.

Project lead: Dr Mathew Senga, University of Dar es Salaam

Country: Tanzania
5. Investigating the nexus of relational wellbeing, digital ICT capabilities and mental health resilience among adolescents, youth and young adults in urban and peri-urban areas in Tanzania (TEVUAfya)

Tanzania is facing a mental health crisis, with services reaching only 20% of those in need. Young people most often attribute mental health challenges to drug use, while adults point to witchcraft, and these attributions contribute to stigma and limit people from accessing support. Youth, especially in disadvantaged urban areas, are severely affected by unemployment, poverty, substance abuse and minimal access to mental healthcare. This project investigates how digital capability can improve youth mental health and relational wellbeing by enabling access to education, employment and social support across individual, community and societal levels.

Project lead: Dr Hector Mongi, University of Dodoma

Country: Tanzania
6. Vulnerable youth: navigating meaningful livelihoods in Indonesia

Indonesia is experiencing a demographic shift expected to peak in 2030, offering potential for economic growth through a larger working-age population. However, socially and economically vulnerable youth – such as those in the areas many relocate to, ethnic minorities and individuals with HIV/Aids or disabilities – face major barriers to employment, including poor health, limited education, social stigma and lack of digital access. Despite government efforts to promote youth employment, structural and social challenges persist. With youth unemployment at 27.88%, failure to support these groups could undermine the demographic opportunity. This study uses a relational wellbeing framework to explore how vulnerable youth build meaningful livelihoods and how family, community and institutional networks shape their wellbeing and employment outcomes.

Project lead: Dr Wenty Marina Minza, Gadjah Mada University

Country: Indonesia
7. Voices of connection: capturing relational wellbeing to improve youth mental health through multimodal communication and network analyses

In Indonesia, early marriage – especially prevalent in East Java – limits young women’s autonomy due to strong familial and cultural expectations, particularly in areas like reproductive health and financial decision-making. Despite its impact, early marriage is rarely addressed from a mental health and wellbeing perspective. This study examines how relational wellbeing, especially within collective and patriarchal decision-making structures, shapes the lives of early-married youth. It explores whether multimodal communication cues (e.g. facial expressions, tone and text) can predict communication-focused relational wellbeing more effectively than traditional wellbeing models. The project also investigates the growing influence of digital communication and social media on young people’s wellbeing – it often exceeds the impact of traditional sources like family or schools.

Project lead: Dr Agnes Sianipar, University of Indonesia

Country: Indonesia
8. How social media use promotes relational wellbeing in the Global South

As digitalisation expands, young people worldwide increasingly use social media to shape their identities and relationships. However, there is a lack of high-quality, context-specific research on social media use among youth in the Global South, despite their making up the majority of the global youth population. This project addresses that gap by adopting a participatory, culturally grounded approach that integrates psychology, education and communication sciences. Moving beyond the predominantly negative, pathology-focused lens common in Global North research, it uses a relational wellbeing framework to explore how social media use can both support and challenge youth wellbeing. The goal is to develop a holistic understanding of how youth in the Global South experience and balance social media with meaningful work and social interactions.

Project lead: Dr Wisnu Wiradhany, Atma Jaya Catholic University of Indonesia

Country: Indonesia
9. A socio-spatial approach to youth’s relational wellbeing

This research investigates how socio-spatial factors shape youth wellbeing in urban Ecuador, where youth suicide is a major concern. It highlights the importance of physical spaces and social dynamics in fostering identity, belonging and community – key elements of wellbeing. The study incorporates sumak kawsay (or buen vivir), an indigenous concept emphasising harmony with nature, reciprocity and communal life, offering a culturally grounded lens on wellbeing. Challenging the dominance of Global North perspectives that prioritise individual psychology, this project advances relational wellbeing theory by integrating collective, socio-environmental contexts unique to the Global South. It aims to inform Ecuador’s new mental health law with insights that support youth wellbeing and suicide prevention.

Project lead: Dr Alex Jerves, Universidad Católica de Cuenca

Country: Ecuador
10. Harnessing digital platforms for enhancing youth wellbeing: revolutionising data collection on livelihoods and digitalisation

This project addresses the limitations of traditional data collection methods in capturing the rapidly evolving and complex realities of youth wellbeing in a digital world. As global systems shift, young people face dynamic challenges in livelihoods, education and social interactions – realities that require more agile, participatory and youth-centred approaches to data gathering. The research aims to develop a digital, real-time framework for assessing youth wellbeing, particularly in urban and peri-urban areas, with a focus on relational wellbeing. By leveraging digital platforms, the project seeks to understand how digital tools shape youth experiences, inclusion, economic participation and civic engagement, ultimately informing more responsive and effective policies and interventions.

Project lead: Professor Juan Carlos Muñoz-Mora, Universidad EAFIT

Country: Colombia
11. Empowering marginalised Tanzanian youth with clean energy skills

This project addresses the disproportionate impact of climate change on marginalised youth in Tanzania, where young people make up a large portion of the population but face limited opportunities and heightened vulnerability. Existing policies and research largely overlook the social and mental health consequences of climate change, especially for youth with disabilities and those from low-income backgrounds. The project aims to fill this gap by raising awareness of climate-related distress and its effects on relational wellbeing, particularly among school-aged youth. It will also promote clean energy education through school climate clubs and practical skills training, enabling young people to engage in sustainable economic activities. Key research questions focus on how clean energy skills can be integrated into marginalised communities, how this affects mental health and economic prospects, and how fostering youth networks and community engagement can build resilience and improve relational wellbeing.

Project lead: Professor Thomas Kivevele, Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology

Country: Tanzania
12. Redefining relational wellbeing to bolster resilience and collective action in climate change in Indonesian youth

This study examines how climate change impacts the relational wellbeing of young people in Indonesia, particularly among marginalised groups. It highlights the mental, social and economic challenges youth face – such as anxiety, eco-grief and disrupted livelihoods – while emphasising the importance of community ties and cultural values like gotong royong (mutual cooperation) in building resilience. The research adopts an interdisciplinary approach to explore how environmental changes affect youth relationships, mental health and adaptation strategies, aiming to inform more holistic and culturally grounded responses to climate challenges in the Global South.

Project lead: Dr D Daniel, Gadjah Mada University

Country: Indonesia
13. Reasons to live: relational wellbeing and the prevention of suicidal ideation and attempts among youth in Ghana, South Africa and Tanzania

This project addresses rising youth suicide rates in low- to middle-income countries, especially South Africa, Tanzania and Ghana, by exploring how relational dynamics influence suicidal ideation and behaviour among students aged between 15 and 24. It applies a relational wellbeing framework to understand how personal relationships, power structures and socio-cultural contexts contribute to suicidality, with a focus on mental health, stigma and systemic barriers. Using a multidisciplinary, systems-thinking approach, the project aims to build research capacity and develop context-specific, relationship-centred interventions through PhD and master’s-level training.

Project lead: Dr Joel Francis, University of the Witwatersrand

Countries: Ghana, South Africa and Tanzania

14. Historical trauma and repair: fostering transgenerational wellbeing

This project explores how historical traumas such as colonialism and apartheid continue to impact the relational wellbeing of youth in Africa, emphasising the importance of communal ethics rooted in the ubuntu philosophy. Recognising the African view of wellbeing as inherently collective and tied to health, community, ancestry and the environment, the study aims to co-create culturally grounded practices of relational repair with young people. By addressing gender, economic pressures, urbanisation and traditional beliefs, the project seeks to foster transgenerational pathways to wellbeing. It promotes agency through storytelling and collaboration across South Africa, Tanzania and Ghana to build shared, relational approaches to healing and future-making.

Project lead: Professor Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela, Stellenbosch University

Country: Ghana, South Africa and Tanzania
15. Resilient roots: cultivating relational wellbeing in Romanian youth through trans-sectoral and community-engaged research

This project addresses the growing mental health crisis among youth in Romania, where nearly half report suicidal thoughts, against a backdrop of socio-economic upheaval, weakening collectivist traditions and limited mental health infrastructure. Despite the global recognition of youth mental health challenges – affecting 14% of young people worldwide – Romania’s transition to individualism, persistent stigma and rural healthcare gaps exacerbate youth vulnerability. This study adopts a relational wellbeing framework to understand how young people’s mental health is shaped by their connections to family, community and cultural legacies. By integrating relational wellbeing with preventive psychiatry strategies like resilience-building and mindfulness, the project seeks to develop culturally grounded, scalable interventions for youth mental health in Romania and similar Global South contexts.

Project lead: Dr Cezar Giosan, University of Bucharest

Country: Romania
16. Urban commoning as real utopias: Advancing relational wellbeing among Southern youth in Bogota, Cape Town and Delhi

This project explores how relational wellbeing – a concept that emphasises collective, social and structural aspects of a meaningful life – can challenge individualistic and profit-driven economic systems by focusing on solidarity, care and shared purpose. It focuses on how youth in Global South cities can foster and benefit from “real utopias” – alternative, often grassroots, spaces that prioritise the common good over self-interest. By studying urban commoning practices across three different Global South cities, the project aims to develop a conceptual framework and place-based models that show how such initiatives improve material, mental and relational wellbeing. It also seeks to explore how alternative economic practices can generate new youth livelihoods and positively impact technology use, mental health and climate resilience, while strengthening global networks and sharing strategies for relational youth engagement.

Project lead: Dr Suraya Scheba, University of Cape Town

Countries: Colombia, India, South Africa
17. PicPecc4Wellbeing: relational wellbeing of young people with disabilities through digitalisation

Young people with disabilities, who make up a significant proportion of the global disabled population – particularly in low- and middle-income countries – face high levels of poverty, exclusion, limited access to education and employment, and increased risk of mental health challenges due to stigma and discrimination. Nearly 80% of the 200-million youth with disabilities live in the Global South. Many of them experience anxiety, stress and low self-worth from an early age, highlighting the urgent need for targeted interventions. Communication plays a crucial role in promoting relational wellbeing and inclusion, yet young people with disabilities often struggle to communicate effectively within their environments. This study aims to enhance relational wellbeing and mental health among youth with disabilities in Colombia, India and South Africa through the co-design and adaptation of an mHealth tool that supports communication, decision-making and reflection, thereby addressing digital inequality and promoting long-term transformational change.

Project lead: Prof. Mary Clasquin-Johnson, University of South Africa

Co-investigators: Prof. Mónica Pinilla-Roncancio,

Prof. Santoshi Halder

Countries: Colombia, India, South Africa
18. Adolescent girls and young women BLOOM and THRIVE

Adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in South Africa face heightened vulnerability due to early pregnancy, sexual and gender-based violence and disproportionate exposure to HIV, often resulting in economic hardship and mental health challenges. Existing programmes have largely failed to address the complex realities AGYW face, or meaningfully involve them in intervention design. Applying relational wellbeing and intersectional feminist approaches, the AGYW BLOOM & THRIVE project, led by the University of Cape Town’s Adolescent Accelerators Research Hub and Shout-it-Now, aims to co-develop responsive, youth-centred digital and face-to-face health interventions. Despite the rise in digital health tools, access and use remain uneven due to a persistent digital gender gap and intergenerational barriers. This project emphasises participatory, action-oriented inquiry, leveraging Shout-it-Now’s AGYW-led service models and technologies to create more equitable, tailored support systems for AGYW’s sexual and reproductive health and broader wellbeing.

Project lead: Dr Elona Toska, University of Cape Town

Country: South Africa
19. Spatial-temporal modelling of localised relational impacts on youth livelihoods under the changing climate in informal peri-urban settlements of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Africa is disproportionately affected by climate change. While economic and physical consequences are well documented, there is limited understanding of how climate change affects the relational wellbeing of young people – especially those migrating to informal peri-urban settlements. These areas face climate-induced risks such as flooding, extreme heat, food insecurity and poor infrastructure, which compound existing inequalities and limit access to livelihoods, services and opportunities. As agriculture becomes unsustainable, youth depend heavily on social networks for support in precarious environments. This study integrates geospatial and social sciences with a relational wellbeing framework to examine how climate change disrupts youth livelihoods and social ties over time and space. By generating localised insights and actionable policy recommendations, the study aims to build resilience among marginalised youth and promote sustainable liveability in the face of climate challenges.

Project lead: Dr Victoria Mwakalinga, Ardhi University

Country: Tanzania
20. Cultivating resilience: a culturally grounded intervention to address climate change-related mental health challenges

Climate change poses significant psychological challenges for young people, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, where environmental degradation and socioeconomic instability are intensifying. While the physical impacts of climate change are well documented, there is a critical gap in understanding its mental health effects on African youth. Existing resilience-building interventions often overlook the cultural, socioeconomic and environmental contexts unique to these settings. This research highlights the importance of culturally sensitive, context-specific strategies that incorporate tools such as the Wellness Wheel and ubuntu philosophy to support youth mental wellbeing. It advocates for participatory methods and mixed-methods evaluation approaches, including photovoice, to develop and assess effective interventions. By centring relational wellbeing and local lived experiences, the study aims to empower African youth as active contributors to climate adaptation and mental health solutions.

Project lead: Professor Deliwe Rene Phetlhu, Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University

Countries: South Africa (multi-country track, including Tanzania and Ghana)
21. Youth-strong: Socio-technical responses to online neglect and global youth economic exploitation

The rapid digitalisation of the Global South has exposed youth to vulnerabilities such as online economic exploitation, with 70% of young people affected by scams, predatory loans and online gambling. These exploitations lead to financial setbacks, debt, anxiety and social isolation, exacerbated by limited digital literacy and weak regulatory frameworks. Current interventions fail to address the unique socioeconomic and cultural contexts of low- and middle-income countries. This project proposes using the relational wellbeing framework to understand how youth interact in digital spaces and integrate it into an agent-based modelling simulation. It aims to develop tailored, evidence-based interventions to combat online exploitation and enhance digital resilience.

Project lead: Dr Yun Prihantina Mulyani, Gadjah Mada University

Country: Indonesia (multicountry roll-out: Indonesia, Ecuador and Ghana)
22. Youth-well: a study to develop and validate a relational wellbeing tool for youth in Ghana, using participatory methods

Traditional wellbeing models, focused on material and subjective wellbeing, often fail to capture the holistic aspects of wellbeing in the Global South, where relational and communal values are central. Relational wellbeing emphasises social connections, interdependence and collective dynamics, which are crucial in African societies, as seen in philosophies like ubuntu and nkonsonkonson (an Andinkra symbol that exemplifies the concept that our combined efforts make us more powerful, and that in order to achieve our objectives, we need to collaborate and live in peace with one another). Current models overlook these relational dimensions, which are vital for understanding youth wellbeing in communal cultures. This research aims to develop a culturally sensitive tool to measure relational wellbeing among youth in Ghana, grounded in local values and relational frameworks. The study will involve young people in co-creating this tool, contributing to a global understanding of relational wellbeing and addressing the gap in measuring communal aspects of youth wellbeing.

Project lead: Dr Richard Appiah, University of Ghana

Country: Ghana
23. The climate change-mental health nexus

Climate change not only affects physical health but also disrupts social relationships and overall wellbeing, particularly among marginalised youth in urban and peri-urban areas. In countries like Indonesia, Ghana and Tanzania, extreme weather events and environmental degradation lead to heightened anxiety, depression and ecological grief, worsening mental health crises. The scarcity of mental health services further exacerbates these challenges. This research aims to understand the link between climate change and mental health, particularly focusing on climate change anxiety among youth in these regions. By using a transdisciplinary, participatory action research approach, the study seeks to design interventions to build climate change resilience and provide policy recommendations to strengthen community efforts in the Global South.

Project lead: Dr Novi Paramita Dewi, Gadjah Mada University

Country: Indonesia (multi-country roll-out: Indonesia, Tanzania and Ghana)

Prof. Sharlene Swartz