On the second day, the meeting centred on discussing key elements from each WP and how these are intertwined. Among these was the definition of self-regulation, and how this efinition was needed for the realist synthesis as an iterative process, as well as from an operationalisation perspective for the project. Furthermore, this definitional aspect would shape the review on self-regulation and mental health outcomes. Another element that was discussed in-depth was the anti-poverty intervention. Here the debate was around the impact of cash transfers on mental health outcomes. The presentation made by the WP3 team showed that anti-poverty interventions – cash transfer alone, cash transfers with training, or assets (livestock, housing voucher, etc.) – have positive effects on mental health. The debate revolved around the positive and negative aspects of considering cash transfers as part of the anti-poverty intervention for the project. Further points that were considered during this day were the instrument validation processes, the age range, the type of research design, sampling and inclusion criteria, and the level of involvement of adolescents during the whole ALIVE project.

The ALIVE project had its first annual scientific meeting in Cape Town, South Africa. The aim of the meeting was to discuss the project’s overall progress towards addressing the causal mechanisms linking poverty, self-regulation, depression, and anxiety among adolescents. The meeting took place during the 21st and 23rd of March and brought together more than 20 ALIVE partners from Colombia, Netherlands, Nepal, UK, USA, and South Africa. All ten organisations from the consortium were present, in the room as well as online. 

On the first day, all the Work Packages (WP) gave an outline of the progress made so far. WP1 shared the overall project, its objectives, activities, and timeline. WP2 presented an overview of the realist synthesis review, as well as the plans for conducting formative research. The main interest in the realist synthesis is on how multidimensional poverty relates to self-regulation, and self-regulation with incidence of depression and anxiety. WP3 outlined their two main reviews, which are examining the impacts of 1) economic interventions and 2) self-regulation interventions on adolescent depression/anxiety. The WP4 discussion revolved around the instruments to be used for the interventions, their validation, cultural adaptation and feasibility for implementation in different contexts. WP5 presented key discussions on the methods for the pilot intervention, including sampling, feasibility, and acceptability. Finally, WP6 explained how the adolescent advisory group would function, their level of engagement, and how to enable active adolescent participation in this research.

On the final day, the main agenda was to establish the next steps of the project, requirements for the quarterly reports, update the timeline based on all the discussions from the previous days with the WPs, and exchange ideas regarding policy engagement and capacity building. The second part of the day was a site visit to the Waves 4 Change (W4C) site. Here the ALIVE members were able to have a first-hand experience on how W4C does their intervention in Monwabisi, near Khayelitsha. W4C explained their whole process, and how they use surf to improve adolescents’ mental health. This visit helped to stimulate further discussion regarding designing the intervention and preparing the instruments. 

In sum, the hybrid in-person and online character of the meeting allowed us to build rapport between members from all countries and fostered a stimulating debates on the key issues of the project, such as the conceptual discussions on poverty and self-regulation, and the economic and psychological interventions. The consortium discussed and established the next steps for each Work Package and each country team (Colombia, Nepal, and South Africa). The next annual meeting will take place in 2023.