H. Cuervo, J. Wyn, J. Fu, B. Dadvand and J.C. Bilinzozi
ISBN: 978 0 7340 5369 5 (print); 978 0 7340 5370 1 (electronic)
Melbourne Graduate School of Education, 2017
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The three studies that inform this report contribute to this body of work by exploring three spaces of belonging for young people: online communities in China, an alternative program in a secondary school in Australia and sports organisations in Tanzania. These studies by Jun Fu, Babak Dadvand and John Chalukulu draw on their PhD research projects at the Youth Research Centre under the supervision of Professor Johanna Wyn and Dr Hernán Cuervo. They draw on different conceptual frameworks to understand forms of belonging, the dynamics that create a sense of community and the processes that enable young people to be included in their worlds. Their analyses open up thinking about the nature of belonging in a global context where social, economic, cultural and political developments are creating new mobilities (on a national and international scale) and ways of being, and are re-shaping young people’s relationship to civic society, to institutions and connection to significant others. Together, these studies illustrate common pressing issues among youth. |
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| They reveal the need for spaces that enhance meaningful participation for young people; the role that, offline and online, communities play in promoting young people’s wellbeing and a sense of community; and the impact that institutions (e.g. schools, welfare agencies) have on young people’s everyday lives. While each study is embedded in its own social, political and economic context, they all reflect the active, and often invisible, work that youth do to shape their lives and their collective futures through practices of belonging. | |
Download the report: 18350-MGSE-Youth-Research-Centre-Report-Global-Belonging