Young people are vital agents for a just green transition, but participation varies across social identities and backgrounds. Men and boys tend to be less interested in both sustainability and gender equality.

How can organisations strengthen the conscious and committed, while also bringing underrepresented voices to the table?

This report analyses experiences of young people in Nordic nonprofit organisations from a gender and climate perspective. It identifies clear patterns and obstacles and considers key approaches to enabling more inclusive youth movements. 

This research overview is based on a systematic overview of research and relevant literature from the Nordic countries between 2018 and 2022, with a focus on young men between the ages of 15 and 30 years.

The overall purpose of the overview is to highlight current knowledge about young men’s mental health problems by investigating what causes these problems, and their consequences.

The overview focuses in particular on knowledge about young men’s mental health in relation to current conditions and challenges in education and training and the workplace in the Nordic countries. 

Despite the fact that life conditions of LGBTI persons in the Nordic countries have changed in the last seventy years, major public health surveys indicate that this group suffers from an increased amount of mental and physical health issues compared to the rest of the population.

Younger generations of LGBTI persons see their lives affected, too, by having a sexuality or gender identity that falls outside heteronormativity. Among other factors, this is due to the exposure to stress that LGBTI persons experience in daily life, so-called minority stress. This includes the risk of or actual harassment, vulnerability, and violence. Further, it includes facing prejudice and discrimination in everyday life, having to sometimes conceal your identity, and dealing with internalized homo- and transphobia, which in turn have detrimental effects on health.

The Nordic Council of Ministers, therefore, has initiated a project that aims to shed light on the well-being of young LGBTI persons. The purpose of the project is to promote knowledge and experiences in the region, in order to contribute to improved life conditions for young LGBTI persons in the Nordic countries. Nordic Information on Gender, NIKK, has carried out the project, which has resulted in the report at hand.

The report consists of two parts:

• A literature review describing the current state of research regarding the wellbeing of young LGBTI persons in the Nordic countries, and
• A survey, presenting a selection of efforts aimed to improve the well-being of young LGBTI persons in the Nordic countries.

Summaries of the report in Nordic languages

DK: Resumé af rapporten: Helbred, velvære og levevilkår blandt unge LGBTI-personer i Norden: En forskningsoversigt og kortlægning af initiativer

FI: Raportin yhteenveto: Nuorten LGBTI-henkilöiden terveys, hyvinvointi ja elinolot Pohjoismaissa: Tutkimuskatsaus ja aloitteiden kartoitus

IS: Samantekt af skýrslunni:Heilsa, líðan og lífsskilyrði ungs hinsegin fólks á Norðurlöndunum: Rannsóknaryfirlit og kortlagning aðgerða

NO: Oppsummering av rapporten: Helse, velvære og livsvilkår hos unge LGBTI-personer i Norden: En forskningsoversikt og kartlegging av tiltak

Young people with experience of prostitution are a group that for several reasons is difficult to reach, both for research and social work. In NIKK’s project “Young women and men, vulnerabilities and prostitution”, knowledge about young people with experiences of prostitution is mapped and analyzed in all Nordic countries. The report Young people, vulnerabilities and prostitution / Sex for compensation in the Nordic countries was developed within the framework of the project.

2020 marks the 25th anniversary of the adoption by 189 UN Member States of the Beijing Platform for Action – the most visionary agenda for gender equality and women’s rights. The anniversary provides an opportunity for a global review of the work on gender equality, and an assessment of the actions countries have taken to address the critical areas of concern addressed by the Platform.

The publication The Nordic road towards Beijing+25 describes the Nordic countries’ work on gender equality, summarising the countries’ progress reports in relation to the implementation of the Beijing Platform. It provides examples of actions, progress and experiences in six areas and identifies remaining challenges.

The publication is produced within the GenerationEqualityNordic project.