Marginal Youth Research Articles

Pokolenie przegranych? Kondycja psychospołeczna młodzieży w Europie Środkowo-Wschodniej

The following article aims at verifying the question of psycho-social condition of youth. In the discourse on youth, theses about increasing marginalization of youth, entering adulthood being hindered and the phenomenon of psycho-wave appear. In order to verify the researched issue, survey method was used. The data was collected by means of auditorium questionnaire. The research sample was of quota character. The research sample in Poland consisted of 3479 respondents, 1289 in Ukraine and 359 in Hungary. The gathered observations refute the theses about the worsening of their psycho-social condition. Youth from all the researched countries in comparison with the generation of their parents evaluate their chances of getting a good education, a satisfying job, achieving high social status and social standing better. Higher skepticism is observed in terms of starting a family and deriving satisfaction from their lives. The researched youth are also satisfied with their lives and evaluate their future positively. The youth from post-transformational societies are of good psycho-social condition and instead of creating a problem for the society, they will constitute their vital resources.

Breaking the triple marginalisation of youth? Mapping the future prospects of youth inclusion in Arab Mediterranean countries

Breaking the triple marginalisation of youth? Mapping the future prospects of youth inclusion in Arab Mediterranean countries

Policy Discourse on Marginalised Youth in Albania: The Constraints of the ‘Normalisation’ and ‘Integration’ Policy Approaches for Inclusive Education

The paper addresses the complex phenomenon of marginalised youth and particularly children in street situation in the Albanian contemporary society. Through a qualitative methodology of critical discourse analysis, the paper investigates the most relevant policy documents on inclusive education for marginalised youth in Albania. The paper is interested in exploring the conceptualisation of marginalised youth, specifically children in street situation, as embedded in policy documents, action plans and intervention programmes for inclusive education. The intention here is to discover the explicit and implicit themes of the policy discourse on marginalised youth in Albania and the how it impacts the approaches adopted by the government to address the phenomenon. The critical discourse analysis on policy framework shows that the discourse on marginalised youth in the public sphere (re)produces and reinforces already existing aspects of social deprivation, marginalization and discrimination. The research shows that there are limited efforts to elaborate the concepts of ‘marginalised youth’ and ‘children in street situation’ and that there is confusion in policy regarding the use of the terms. In addition, children in street situation are seen either as victims of socio-economic hardship and endangered by their presence in the spaces of the ‘street’ or as a possible threat to the rest of the society, i.e. the street criminalises children. The research shows two main policy approaches: (i) correctional or repressive-oriented policy approach that conceives ‘street children’ as a danger to public order whose features differentiate from mainstream childhood and as such invites intervention programmes that tend to ‘normalise’ children; (ii) protective or rehabilitative policy approaches, i.e. emphasising children needs and aiming at protecting and re-integrating them in family and mainstream society. The paper takes a critical stance on the current policy discourse and the consequent policy approaches of ‘normalisation’ and ‘integration’ and argues for a reconceptualization of children in street situation as social actors based on the notion of childhood as socially constructed. It is thus necessary to link research on the socialisation processes, identity construction and resilience of marginalised youth in the spaces of the street based on their dynamic lifestyles and perspectives with policy development.

Promoting Stakeholder Engagement in Health Surveillance Research of Marginalized Youth

Promoting Stakeholder Engagement in Health Surveillance Research of Marginalized Youth

Migration and Community Resilience in Nicaraguan Afro-Caribbean Coastal Communities

Bluefields, Nicaragua, is a diverse and complex city that has a panoply of cultures and languages. Youth face complex issues due to geographic, cultural, and linguistic differences from the broader Nicaraguan society. This theoretical analysis and literature review considers the marginalization of youth as a threat that encourages migration away from the community, further exposing youth to a future of isolation. Migration theories are reviewed and linked to the role that education can play in reducing these dangers and reinforcing cultural assets of the Bluefields community.

Youth Participation in Urban Neighbourhood Community

Abstract Neighbourhood is a space for human to interact among themselves and to live with thehealthier quality of life. In measuring youth participation in the urban neighbourhood community,the understanding upon their contribution in the community programmes, and outdoor social interaction are required. There is differentiate between living in the urban area and the rural spaces, the urban dweller often interact with others by the time of working hour. This paper examines the level of youth participation in the urban neighbourhood community. The issue highlighted isthe youth marginalisation in the community programmes, decision-making process and outdoor space consumption.

Terrorism discourse on French international broadcasting:France 24and the case ofCharlie Hebdoattacks in Paris

This article offers an inquiry into the discursive construction of ‘terrorism’ by France 24, the French international broadcaster, in the aftermath of the attacks on Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine in January 2015. The article argues that the broadcaster seems to employ a relatively narrow definition of terrorism linking it to Islam and Muslims. France 24 portrays the attacks as an external phenomenon coming to France from outside. The blame is assigned to non-French factors, mainly to foreign extremist organisations, Islamist ideologues and overseas training. No reasons for violence are sought inside the country. Internal developments, such as discrimination, youth marginalisation, lack of educational and work opportunities, relations between law enforcement and the Muslim community that could potentially contribute to the acts, are not explored by the broadcaster’s investigative journalism. This narrow interpretation of ‘terrorism’ that assigns responsibility to Muslims, Islamic indoctrination and overseas training may further alienate Muslim communities in France’s already divided society. It points to narrow policy responses that focus mainly on stricter monitoring of Muslim minorities, on limiting combat and cross-border movement. This type of discourse excludes long-term policy solutions that address broader socio-politico-economic conditions in which ‘terrorism’ might flourish.

We Can't Eat Peace: Youth, Sustainable Livelihoods and the Peacebuilding Process in Sierra Leone

This article examines the legacy and ongoing threat of historical neglect and marginalisation of youth in Sierra Leone, and the implications for the peacebuilding process in the country. This threat, embedded in the current socio-economic status quo, has bred energetic but disillusioned, violence-tested and frustrated youth willing to resort to any means for survival. Such societal vulnerabilities, stemming in part from young people's willingness to engage in violence, continue to test the resilience of the peacebuilding process. Underpinning this article are extensive interviews and focus group discussions conducted with youth and other relevant stakeholders across the country on issues related to youth and the peacebuilding process in Sierra Leone. Findings from this study provide new perspectives on the challenges faced by youth, the government's inability to meet their needs, and the implications for the country's peacebuilding process.

The Indirect Approach

How do we do good guesswork at meaning if our informant lives in a secret world? Doing research often includes awkward moments, unforeseen events, and incidents. Here we name some of these “happenstances.” We suggest that happenstances may offer a solution to the problem of meaning discrepancies: The happenstance is one of those moments that allow the researcher to temporarily bridge into the meanings of his or her informant. We have carried out research on marginal youth. In both of our studies, happenstances have turned interview situations upside down. Here we identify how these unforeseen events provided us with valuable insights into our informants’ contexts. We conclude by addressing how these happenstances, though they appear to be a product of pure accident, may become part of a systematic approach in discovering contextual knowledge.

The Muslim Question in Australia: Islamophobia and Muslim Alienation

Islamophobia has become a significant problem across the Western world. Australia is no exception. The emergence of far right groups and a political environment that allows anti-Islamic discourse has created an increasingly unwelcome environment for Muslims, even though multiculturalism has long been a fundamental marker of Australian daily life. The rise of Islamophobia has been damaging to Australia. This paper explores the rise of anti-Islamic sentiments in Australia and the increasing marginalization of Muslim youth, showing that Islamophobia not only breaks the bond between Muslim youth and Australian society, it also polarizes relations within Australian Muslim communities.

Globalized Muslim Youth in the Asia Pacific: Popular Culture in Singapore and Sydney

Globalized Muslim Youth in the Asia Pacific: Popular Culture in Singapore and Sydney

Europe's New Identity: The Refugee Crisis and the Rise of Nationalism.

Europe's New Identity: The Refugee Crisis and the Rise of Nationalism.

Book Review: Amala Jeya Rayan A., Empowerment of Marginalized Youth

Book Review: Amala Jeya Rayan A., Empowerment of Marginalized Youth

Pokolenie przegranych? Kondycja psychospołeczna młodzieży w Europie Środkowo-Wschodniej

The following article aims at verifying the question of psycho-social condition of youth. In the discourse on youth, theses about increasing marginalization of youth, entering adulthood being hindered and the phenomenon of psycho-wave appear. In order to verify the researched issue, survey method was used. The data was collected by means of auditorium questionnaire. The research sample was of quota character. The research sample in Poland consisted of 3479 respondents, 1289 in Ukraine and 359 in Hungary. The gathered observations refute the theses about the worsening of their psycho-social condition. Youth from all the researched countries in comparison with the generation of their parents evaluate their chances of getting a good education, a satisfying job, achieving high social status and social standing better. Higher skepticism is observed in terms of starting a family and deriving satisfaction from their lives. The researched youth are also satisfied with their lives and evaluate their future positively. The youth from post-transformational societies are of good psycho-social condition and instead of creating a problem for the society, they will constitute their vital resources.

Japanese Youth Marginalization Decreases Interdependent Orientation

Under the influences of globalization and a long recession, there is an increasing population of marginalized Japanese youth referred to as NEET (Not in Employment, Education, or Training). Past studies have suggested that the social withdrawal of these individuals is a manifestation of a denial of the dominant cultural value of interdependence and a lack of motivation to adhere to it. To present additional evidence, this study addressed the cognitive and emotional consequences of NEET tendencies by examining interdependent orientation measured by one’s desire to engage in social activities (Study 1) and spontaneous attention to vocal tone (Study 2). As expected, an increase of NEET tendencies was associated with a lower desire to engage in social activities and a reduced attention to vocal tone. These results suggest that NEET tendencies decrease interdependent orientation in the Japanese cultural context.

Co-producing knowledge through participatory theatre: reflections on ethnography, empathy and power

This article is based on methodological reflections from a participatory theatre project with economically marginal youth in Sierra Leone’s capital, Freetown. It offers empirical considerations on the application of participatory methods in reference to three concerns of feminist research: the situated nature of knowledge; the wish to create non-hierarchical knowledge; and the orientation towards emancipatory action. In discussing the potential for meaningful participation to create inclusive research spaces, the paper suggests the importance of acknowledging the necessarily indeterminate and imperfect nature of our efforts to mitigate power imbalances and the challenge of intersubjective understanding in our research encounters.

Love and Betrayal: The Political Economy of Youth Violence in Post-War Sierra Leone

ABSTRACTYouth unemployment is often presented as a security risk in post-conflict countries, yet the relationship between labour market exclusion and engagement in violence remains little understood. This paper opens up one aspect of this relationship, analysing how the employment aspirations of Sierra Leone's marginal youth relate to their decisions to take part in political unrest. Telling the stories of urban youth involved to varying degrees in violent episodes shows how violence is used as a tactic to signal loyalty to political strongmen. Such loyalty is hoped to result in the establishment of relations of reciprocity that will offer a road to socially valued employment. Comparing the experiences of two groups of young people, similar in their socio-economic background and experience of violence but different in their collocation in political networks, reveals two things. Firstly, availability for violence was insufficient to achieve durable incorporation, as pre-existing social ties determined the nature of recruitment. Secondly, as even those embedded in politicians’ networks of reciprocity appeared ultimately unable to escape marginality, their experiences cast doubt on the expediency of using violence as a way into the labour market, making the exploitative nature of these relations starkly evident.

A qualitative study assessing cardiovascular risk factors: the accumulative stressors influencing societal integration of teenage African immigrants.

BackgroundThis study examines the nature of disparities in cardiovascular risk by exploring chronic stressors and other cardiovascular risk factors on youth of African descent who are integrating into an industrialized society.MethodsQualitative data on cardiovascular risk and acclimation to the dominant society were collected from three groups of key informants: (1) community leaders; (2) youth; and (3) a community advisory group.ResultsYouth of Ethiopian descent engaged in the same western diets, computerized social networking, and habits in smoking and alcohol use as did youth from the dominant society. However, informants of Ethiopian descent encountered and witnessed racism, institutional discrimination and evidence of devaluing Ethiopian culture, influencing youths’ ability to integrate into the society.ConclusionImmigrant youth of Ethiopian descent face an accumulation of conflicting social support, psychosocial factors, and stressors, including: living in low-income, high-crime areas; encountering pervasive discrimination; acclimating to a new and industrialized culture; and navigating within an often unhospitable society. Contributing to these factors are changes in health behaviors such as adding processed foods and sugary drinks to the diet, increasing heavy alcohol use and substituting screen use for physical activity. The accumulative impact of these factors contributes to the marginalization of youth of Ethiopian descent in the dominant society and perpetuates a cycle of increasing cardiovascular risk.

Wearable and mobile sensors connected to social media in human well-being applications

Safety of children and marginalization of youth are increasing problems in our modern society. Developing technologies, however, offer more possibilities for building safety solutions for children and teenagers. This paper describes a new concept of using sensors to monitor human behavior in combination with data processing and information transfer via different communication channels as well as different types of support the concept makes available. The concept utilizes the web and social media to create services and new business centered around different applications designed to support child safety in challenging situations and to prevent the marginalization of young people. This conceptual work involves different sub-concepts in the areas of information flow and connections, potential services and business potential. Some application areas will be introduced and discussed as specific cases demonstrating the features of the developed concept.

Igniting the Fire Within Marginalized Youth: The Role of Critical Civic Inquiry in Fostering Ethnic Identity and Civic Self-Efficacy

Critical Civic Inquiry (CCI) is a transformative student voice initiative that engages students in critical conversations about educational equity and inquiry-based learning to increase student voice and promote civic action. A quasi-experimental study was conducted to assess if participation in CCI increased the psychological empowerment (as measured through ethnic identity and civic self-efficacy) of high school students. Students who participated in CCI pedagogy reported increases in ethnic identity and civic self-efficacy. These findings indicate the importance of supportive adult relationships, inquiry-based learning, and critical conversations about social and educational inequities in promoting the psychological empowerment of marginalized students.