“The Will to Survive”: The Lives of Young People with “No Papers” in the United Kingdom

Yeṣim Deveci ()
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Yeṣim Deveci: School of Education and Communities, University of East London, London E16 2RD, UK

Social Sciences, 2023, vol. 13, issue 1, 1-13

Abstract: This article considers how undocumented youth in the UK survive and construct their everyday lives in precarious circumstances. Drawing on multiple in-depth narrative interviews with ( n = 7) undocumented youth, I illustrate how these young people focus on the future and engage in purposeful activities as a way of enduring the everyday challenges of living with no papers. I reflect on the relationships, which young people draw on to enable them to endure adversity and rebuild their everyday lives. I conclude that the presence of love and community is critical for young people’s survival, safety and wellbeing, and I suggest how practitioners and researchers might make use of these findings.

Keywords: undocumented youth; young refugees; relational; love; wellbeing; UK (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A B N P Y80 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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