| dc.description.abstract | In the midst of what is often dubbed the ‘migration crisis’, The Gambia has consistently been among the top ten nationalities of irregular migrants entering Europe across the Mediterranean Sea, with over 20,000 citizens leaving The Gambia since 2016 along routes which are commonly known as the ‘Backway’. In the wake of The Gambia recently ending 22 years of dictatorship, combined with the implementation of external EU migration policy, thousands of Gambians are returning to their home country with expectations of reintegration and new opportunities. Since the beginning of 2017, over 3500 Gambians have been assisted to return home. Return migration from the Backway can involve risks to mental health and psychosocial wellbeing, both from traumatic journey experiences and in reintegration. This qualitative study explores the experiences and challenges faced by return migrants and the ways in which return migration is impacting psychosocial wellbeing. It is based on three months of fieldwork in Greater Banjul District of The Gambia. Through the analysis of in-depth interviews and participant observation, the study explores how psychosocial wellbeing of return migrants is shaped through understandings of mental illness, relationships and social expectations, and perspectives of and from travelling. The findings suggest that the return migrants in this study are struggling with demotivation and a lost sense of purpose, and subsequently have not found any forms of psychosocial support for emotional challenges they are facing. The study also found that the psychosocial wellbeing of return migrants in The Gambia is shaped not only by return experiences but by the travel itself. The study has highlighted a disparity between the available opportunities, such as those provided through youth empowerment projects, and the accessibility felt by the return migrants in the research. The insights provided by this study suggest that providing spaces to validate and acknowledge the experiences and emotional challenges of return migrants would be beneficial for their psychosocial wellbeing. It also suggests that return migrants require more opportunities to feel motivated and to gain a sense of purpose, as returning to the same situation one left from can produce frustration and resentment. Finally, it is proposed that more collaboration between international organisations, government projects, and the grassroots associations which are filling the gaps for psychosocial support, shows potential for a more inclusive and further reaching process of opportunity building and youth development in ‘The New Gambia’. | eng |