21st century educational migration patterns are an important matter of determination in light of geopolitical changes. Educational opportunities in Bangladesh are contrary to the Chinese and the U.S. Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and Indo-Pacific Strategy (IPS) paradigms. These are programs sponsored by the state in the form of special scholarship programs, language schools, such as Confucius Institutes and American Spaces, and institutional-level strategic linkages. This paper examines how Bangladeshi university students can transform these geopolitical tools into strategic thinking. An exploration of the relationship between career aspirations and gendered experiences and the destination choices of students is conducted based on the information received in qualitative semi-structured interviews. The results show that the issue of youth mobility is not personal; instead, students go through the Great Power rivalry to realign their educational ambitions with the evolving world order. Ultimately, this paper will demonstrate that global elite events have a direct influence on the drive and desire of Global South youth to participate in such events. Linking macro-level geopolitics with micro-level student decisions, this paper demonstrates the changing character of human capital flight in a multipolar world. The implications of the findings suggest that the traditional Global North hegemony in education is being shaken by new geopolitical infrastructures, which offer a new vision of how geopolitical soft power is reshaping the life paths of people, especially by offering alternative educational opportunities and resources to empower youth in the Global South.

Introduction. Volunteerism represents an important aspect of productive aging, yet existing research has not fully explained the differences in later-life volunteerism between Asian midlife and older adults and other ethnoracial groups after accounting for socioeconomic resources. To address this gap, this study examined whether religious involvement and immigration status, conceptualized as traditional culture-related factors, help explain disparities in both formal and informal volunteerism among U.S. adults aged 50 to 75, enabling a comparison between Asian midlife and older adults and other ethnoracial groups. Methods. Data were obtained from pooled waves of the Health and Retirement Study (2004-2020), utilizing a cross-sectional sample of adults aged 50 to 75. Logistic regression models were used to estimate the odds of formal and informal volunteerism across ethnoracial groups, with Asian populations as the reference category. Models were sequentially adjusted for demographic characteristics, health, work status, education, and income, followed by the inclusion of religion and immigration status. Results. Higher religious involvement was associated with increased odds of both formal (OR = 2.023, p < .001) and informal volunteerism (OR = 1.219, p < .001), while being an immigrant was associated with lower odds of formal (OR = .593, p < .01) and informal volunteerism (OR = .432, p < .001). After accounting for these factors, previously observed differences between Asian and White populations in both forms of volunteerism were no longer statistically significant, suggesting that religion and immigration status partially explain these disparities. However, differences between Asian individuals and Hispanics persisted (formal: OR = .483, p < .01; informal: OR = .551, p < .05). Conclusion. These findings suggest that religion and immigration are especially important for understanding how patterns of volunteerism among Asian midlife and older adults compare with those of other ethnoracial groups in later life.

Childhood has emerged as a critical arena for cultivating resilience, empathy, and environmental responsibility in the face of the climate crisis. This paper presents an analytical case study of Earth Warriors Global, a social enterprise working at the intersection of climate change, sustainability, and education. The organization develops and delivers innovative climate education programs for children aged 3–11, integrating storytelling, play, and experiential learning to transform climate anxiety into climate courage. Through a synthesis of publicly available data, program documentation, and theoretical literature on childhood development and environmental learning, this study examines how Earth Warriors Global reframes climate education as a process of empowerment rather than fear.

The analysis highlights the organization’s global impact—reaching over 100,000 students and 10,000 teachers across 15 countries—through climate education training, workshops, and advisory programs. This paper argues that by embedding emotional intelligence, collaboration, and creativity into climate learning, Earth Warriors Global models a transformative pedagogy that aligns with Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 4: Quality Education and SDG 13: Climate Action). This study also explores how such early interventions nurture critical thinking and social agency among children, laying the foundation for long-term behavioral change.

By situating climate education within the broader field of childhood and youth studies, this paper underscores the role of socially engaged learning in shaping future citizens capable of leading sustainability transitions. It concludes that initiatives like Earth Warriors Global illustrate how rethinking childhood education can serve as a cornerstone for intergenerational climate action and collective resilience.

This study assessed the feasibility, functionality, and community demand for the proposed Basak Teen Center in Barangay Basak, Lapu-Lapu City, using empirical survey data as the primary basis for planning and validation. A quantitative descriptive research design was employed through a structured survey administered to 378 youth respondents aged 15–30. A 7-point Likert scale measured perceived need, service importance, willingness to participate, and overall feasibility. Weighted means, frequency distributions, and percentage analyses were computed to determine demand intensity and service prioritization.

Findings reveal exceptionally strong community endorsement. The perceived need for a Teen Center obtained a weighted mean of 6.58 (Strongly Agree), while the overall feasibility index reached 6.34 (Highly Feasible). Functionality indicators yielded an average weighted mean of 6.41 (Very Important). Counseling and psychosocial support ranked highest (M = 6.72), followed by information and education services (M = 6.60) and referral linkages (M = 6.51). Willingness to participate recorded a mean of 6.22 (Agree), with 72% of respondents expressing intention to visit the facility. Additionally, 75% demonstrated willingness to use the study area—classified as a Must-Be feature—while 77% indicated willingness to recommend the center to peers. Notably, 61% expressed willingness to volunteer as peer educators.

Survey data confirm high social acceptability, strong projected utilization, and functional alignment between proposed services and documented youth priorities. The Must-Be classification of the air-conditioned study area with Wi-Fi establishes it as a baseline requirement for sustained engagement. Consistently elevated scores across need, functionality, and participation dimensions substantiate operational viability and anticipated developmental impact. Empirical evidence demonstrates that the proposed Teen Center is both strategically necessary and community-endorsed, warranting immediate implementation.

Homelessness among elderly individuals is an emerging social issue in Punjab, particularly in the urban areas of Mutlan where limited family support and inadequate social protection increase vulnerability in old age. Despite their marginalization, homeless elderly people often develop informal social networks that help them manage daily survival. This study explores the nature of social connections and associations in the everyday lives of homeless elderly individuals using eco-mapping as an analytical tool. A qualitative research design was adopted to understand participants’ lived experiences. Data were collected from 17 homeless elderly individuals through in-depth interviews and eco-mapping exercises, which enabled participants to visually represent their relationships with individuals, groups, and institutions in their daily environment. These maps helped identify both supportive and strained connections within their social networks. The findings reveal that homeless elderly individuals rely heavily on informal relationships with fellow homeless persons, local shopkeepers, religious institutions, and charity groups for food, emotional support, and temporary shelter. However, these networks remain fragile due to social stigma, unstable living conditions, and limited institutional assistance. The study highlights the significance of social networks as informal support systems and suggests strengthening community-based and institutional interventions to improve the well-being and social inclusion of homeless elderly populations.

Introduction. Digital inequality research has increasingly shown that internet access is not simply a matter of being online or offline, but additionally reflects differences in where and how people connect across daily environments. Drawing from later-life digital inclusion perspectives, access can be understood as a patterned resource shaped by mobility, functional capacity, and opportunities for engagement across settings. This distinction may be particularly important in later life, when functional limitations can shape mobility and the flexibility of digital engagement. Methods. Using a nationally representative sample of 32,837 adults aged 50 and older in the U.S. from the Current Population Survey (CPS), a federal household survey, this study examined whether functional difficulty was associated with three internet access patterns: access limited to home, access across home and outside settings, and access limited to outside settings (e.g., library). Multinomial logistic regression models were estimated using internet-use supplement weights, adjusting for sociodemographic factors. Results. Functional difficulty was associated with a significantly higher likelihood of access limited to home rather than access limited to outside settings (RRR = 1.596, 95% CI [1.353, 1.883], p < .001). Functional difficulty was not significantly associated with access across home and outside settings compared to access limited to outside settings (RRR = 0.906, 95% CI [0.771, 1.065], p = .233). Older age and female gender were also associated with a greater likelihood of access limited to home, while a bachelor’s degree or above was linked to higher likelihood of access across home and outside settings. Conclusion. These data suggest that functional limitations may not always prevent internet access altogether, but may instead shape more constrained forms of connectivity centered at home. Moving beyond a binary view of access, this study highlights the importance of understanding digital inclusion in later life as patterned, location-dependent, and shaped by functional capacity.

Debates on aging populations often focus on pension systems and elderly care, while discussions on childhood policy center on education access and human capital formation. However, these conversations are rarely connected. This paper asks: Can early childhood investment reduce economic vulnerability in old age? By linking childhood development policies to long-term aging outcomes, the study challenges the tendency to treat childhood and aging as separate policy domains.

Drawing on human capital theory and life-course economics, the paper argues that investments in early childhood such as nutrition, basic education, and cognitive development have cumulative effects that shape employment stability, earnings trajectories, savings capacity, and health outcomes across the lifespan. Weak childhood foundations in many developing economies contribute not only to youth unemployment but also to insecure and informal labor patterns that extend into later life, increasing the risk of elderly poverty.

Using demographic and labor market trends from emerging economies, the study explores how insufficient childhood investment can create long-term fiscal pressure on social protection systems. It further examines whether strengthening early-life policy interventions may serve as a preventative strategy against old-age vulnerability, reducing reliance on reactive pension reforms.

By integrating childhood, youth labor transitions, and aging outcomes into a single analytical framework, this paper contributes to ongoing discussions in Aging, Childhood and Youth Studies. It proposes that sustainable aging policy must begin not in retirement planning, but in early childhood development, reframing intergenerational policy design as a long-term economic strategy rather than a short-term social response.

Introduction

Population ageing has significant social and economic implications across sectors including health, urban planning, technology, education, and public policy. However, education on ageing remains largely concentrated within health and social care disciplines, limiting broader societal and workforce preparedness. Higher education institutions have a key role in shaping professional competencies and social responses to demographic change. This paper outlines a proposal for integrating ageing across higher education curricula as a foundation for developing age-friendly communities.

Methods

This paper adopts a conceptual and policy-informed approach. Drawing on demographic trends, international healthy ageing frameworks, and existing models of ageing education, the current status of ageing content within higher education was examined. A proposed framework for curriculum integration across faculties is presented, focusing on embedding ageing literacy within teaching, research, and service functions.

Results

Ageing education is commonly siloed, resulting in fragmented understanding among graduates in non-health disciplines. The proposed curriculum framework illustrates how ageing-related content can be integrated across faculties such as health sciences, social sciences, technology, and the built environment. This approach highlights potential advantages, including improved ageing literacy, reduced ageism, and better preparation of graduates to engage with ageing populations in diverse professional contexts.

Conclusions

Integrating ageing across higher education curricula represents a strategic and upstream response to population ageing. As universities are key contributors to ageing literacy and workforce preparedness, this approach offers a practical pathway towards more inclusive, age-friendly societies. Future work should focus on piloting and evaluating such curriculum models in different institutional and cultural contexts.

The notion of childhood in India is undergoing rapid transformation, driven by digitization, social media exposure, and evolving socio-economic structures. This paper explores how the Indian judiciary has navigated these changes through the interpretation of child rights and juvenile justice principles. Grounded in landmark judgments such as Pratap Singh v. State of Jharkhand (2005) 3 SCC 551, Shilpa Mittal v. State (NCT of Delhi) (2020) 2 SCC 787, and Bachpan Bachao Andolan v. Union of India (2013) 3 SCC 598, the study analyzes how courts have balanced culpability, rehabilitation, and protection under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015. It highlights how legal discourse around “childhood” now extends into digital spaces—covering issues of cyber exploitation, online grooming, and data privacy of minors. By integrating sociological insights with jurisprudential analysis, the research proposes a conceptual model of “Digital Childhood Justice,” emphasizing restorative justice, digital literacy, and psychosocial rehabilitation as key pillars of youth protection. The study further examines the ethical challenges of AI-driven surveillance in educational and juvenile reform institutions, urging policy alignment between child protection law, technology regulation, and education reform. Ultimately, it argues that safeguarding childhood in the 21st century requires not only compassionate legal interpretation but also proactive digital governance rooted in equity and human dignity. It concludes with a call for a national framework on digital childhood rights integrating education, justice, and cyber ethics.

Introduction:

In the current era of late modernity, generation z is subject to strong forces of individualization, as well as fluid social processes and high levels of uncertainty. The process of identity formation is becoming more self-directed and is being constructed in a reflexive manner, which is subjecting this generation to much higher levels of emotional demands. We explore the role of structural conditions as such on emotional regulation and attachment patterns.

Methods:

This study uses a narrative approach to combine sociological and psychological theories of liquid modernity, individualization, risk, emotional capitalism, attachment, and regulation into a coherent story. By means of an integrative conceptual analysis, it constructs a cross-level model that links macro-social circumstances with the internal processes of self-regulation and relationship dynamics among Generation Z individuals.

Results:

There is a definite contradiction throughout the study: while individuals are attempting to form their own identities, they are left with even more on their shoulder, as they are constantly observing their emotional equilibrium. In a “liquid modern society,” as it is described, the nature of relationships is precarious and conditional, making vulnerability a danger in relationship with others. When the value of intimacy is measured against the risk factor and becomes more of a quasi-market assessment, individuals are likely to find themselves moving away from emotional relationships and binding ties as a form of coping strategy.

Conclusions:

Lack of emotional attachment or emotional detachment is not only a dispositional weakness but also a coping strategy developed by the social structures of today. Nevertheless, humans need social attachment for psychological regulation. Avoidance can lead to an escalation of self-criticism, anxiety, and rumination. The study offers an interdisciplinary sociopsychological framework to understand the avoidance of relationships by Generation Z within larger socio-structural changes.