How Support Networks Are Shielding Youth Amid the Polycrisis

Support Networks for Youth in the Polycrisis

When six‑year‑old Pim Sullivan‑Tailyour saw a mountainside in southern Thailand reduced to a scarred orange face, she sensed an unnatural shift. The river that once ran crystal‑clear was now muddied, a silent lesson that human activity can scar the planet. Years later, after moving to the UK, she found herself the lone voice for climate action at school, until a peer‑run programme called Force of Nature offered a lifeline. The online sessions, hosted on Zoom, gathered dozens of young people from over fifty nations, proving that she was not alone. Global surveys reveal that ↓ 56% of teenagers believe humanity is doomed, while ↑ 90% of participants in the Good Grief Network report feeling more empowered after the program. Psychologists label the pervasive dread “eco‑anxiety,” a grief‑laden response to environmental loss. Liza Jachens of the University of Nottingham describes it as “a chronic fear of environmental doom.”

“What we need is validation and a path to action,” she says.

Researchers note that today’s youth face a “polycrisis” – climate change, economic strain, health crises like the pandemic, geopolitical tensions, and digital overload. Programs such as Force of Nature and the Good Grief Network are shifting from pure climate focus to broader mental‑health support, encouraging participants to map personal strengths, share “bad‑news graffiti walls,” and devise realistic community projects. Their effectiveness is still being measured; a recent Reuters analysis highlights that only two of 34 eco‑anxiety initiatives have published formal evaluations. Yet early data suggest that group‑based validation lowers depressive symptoms and fuels constructive activism. As the polycrisis deepens, scaling evidence‑based support networks may become as essential as any climate policy.