Youth Insight

Anthony Lynch is a researcher and mixed-heritage adoptee working in the intersection between Lived Experience and Policy. Their work in identity began when they co-founded In-Between Lines, an award-winning exhibition for individuals belonging to multiple ethnicities, cultures, and families. They are also a steering group member for an upcoming parliamentary inquiry into adoptee voices, organised by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Adoption and Permanence.

Zoe Lambert is a transracial adoptee, born in Cambodia but raised in Singapore with a British passport. Attending an international school meant that she was constantly surrounded by a rich tapestry of cultures, ideas and traditions. Her diverse upbringing has shaped her understanding of complex identities and as a result, Zoe is passionate about contributing valuable insight to the discourse on complex identities, driven by her desire to help people understand themselves and others better.

Complex Identity: An Intersectional Framework for Youth Organisations and Researchers in the UK | Anthony Lynch

This intersectional research paper highlights the lived experience of individuals with multiple identities in a single social category. Traditional conceptions of identity have an understanding of one identity per social category e.g.: British → Nationality, which does not address the need of several marginalised groups. Situated in the UK equality and peer research context, the paper explores academic and grassroots accounts in transracial care experience, mixed-heritage, Third Culture Kid, and border communities. Introducing the Complex Identity framework, it relates these experiences to encourage political networks and connections across differences. Neither exhaustive nor authoritative, it aims to ‘speak nearby’ these communities, creating space for others to detail their lived experience. The motivation behind the research is the increasingly globalised world that young people inhabit. The UK is the most ethnically diverse it has ever been, and with residential segregation between demographics decreasing, young people are living in a fusion of cultures, foods, traditions, music, families, languages, and friends. These factors are producing a consciousness of identity complexity for these groups that organisations and researchers need to account for in their work. The paper gives several recommendations for researchers and organisations to raise awareness of complex identities, as well as to increase representation and funding for grassroots groups. By accurately conceptualising the needs of marginalised young people, the hope is that support for identity can reflect the complex reality of 21st century Britain.

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Beyond Labels: Understanding the Complex Identities of Youth in the UK | Zoe Lambert

This report examines the social and psychological development of complex identities in adolescents within the United Kingdom, aimed at informing people in positions of authority. By integrating Erikson’s identity development theory from “Childhood and Society” (1993) with additional theories related to the complex identity experience, this study provides a comprehensive analysis of the unique challenges faced by these adolescents. The findings reveal that adolescents with complex identities must navigate several distinct processes to achieve the optimal outcome described in Erikson’s theory. These processes add to the typical developmental tasks that adolescents face as they transition to adulthood. The report also considers the significant roles of globalisation and the internet in shaping complex identities, influencing both the development process and its pace. This complexity indicates that the current infrastructure is not equipped to address the nuances of complex identities, as evidenced by a lack of existing research and unanswered questions in official reports. To prevent policy errors and social division, it is recommended that professional bodies and authorities educate themselves on the phenomenon of complex identities. A lived experience-focused approach and a better understanding of the implications of having a complex identity will help create knowledge in this area.

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These papers were discussed at a Youth Forum held on 2 July 2024 at Coram Campus. Entitled Embracing Complexity: Identity in Research, Policy, and Lived Experience, this event aimed to bring together practitioners, researchers, and others involved in the children’s sector to consider how complex identity can be incorporated into the work of organisations. You can view a recording of the event below. Information on speakers and schedule are available on the event page.