Global Perspectives on Organized Activities: Challenges and Future Directions to Supporting Young People’s Health and Well-Being

Leisure offers opportunities for new experiences facilitating identity development, peer socialisation and skill acquisition, all of which are important for individuals’ health and psychological wellbeing. We argue that during adolescence, engagement in organised activities, a structured form of leisure, is imperative for building the foundations for positive health, education, and development into adulthood. Internationally, however, there are stark inequalities in young people’s participation due to multi-level barriers as well as variations in local provisions. Although the inequalities that present from participation are scrutinised in other disciplines, addressing this as a public health issue has yet to be realised. We recommend greater knowledge exchange across countries and fields of practice in order to develop guidance on how best to support adolescents’ health and wellbeing within and across organised activities, as well as to inform approaches that provide more equitable opportunities for engagement so all young people can benefit from
them.