Andreas Heinen is a sociologist and Research (and Development) Specialist at the Centre for Childhood and Youth Research (CCY) at the University of Luxembourg.
The youth of the commune of Schuttrange
Youth study for the Local Youth Plan for the municipality of Schuttrange
Within the framework of the Plan Communal Jeunesse (PCJ), a series of communal youth studies have been and are being carried out in which the leisure and life situation as well as the needs of young people in Luxembourg communes are described and analysed. Issues such as family situation, social origin, ethnic heterogeneity, school situation, value orientations and life goals as well as political and social participation are also taken into account. These findings support the communes in the systematic and sustainable planning and implementation of their youth policy decisions. An important concern is the orientation of the measures to the needs of the young people themselves.
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Objective
The study is part of the local youth plan for the commune of Schuttrange and is intended to contribute to a better understanding of young people in the commune. The results of the study form an important basis for information and discussion for the future planning and implementation of communal youth policy. Accordingly, the study is designed as a situation and needs analysis. The focus is on the leisure behaviour and leisure interests of young people. Other important aspects are the living environments and social milieus of origin of the young people and the resulting initial conditions, life plans and future perspectives. Last but not least, the question of how the young people of different origins are integrated in the commune, how satisfied they are with the offers and infrastructures in the commune and which participation opportunities are important for them is also of interest.
Data basis and methodology
The study is based on a number of data and information sources that were collected using different procedures and methodological approaches:
- In a social space analysis, a description of the commune and its population along various dimensions was created on the basis of secondary data. The findings on age structure, nationalities, educational and occupational structure made it possible to describe the socio-spatial and milieu-specific contexts and backgrounds of the lifeworld of young people.
- In group discussions with “youth experts”, i.e. actors of voluntary and professional youth work in Schuttrange, important topics and questions were identified, which were taken up in the further research design.
- In an online survey, leisure-related interests, expectations and behaviours of young people between the ages of 12 and 25 were collected. The aim was a comprehensive presentation of the distribution of leisure motives, interests and activities of young people and an analysis of sociological determinants (social milieu, age, nationality, gender, etc.).
- The leisure time behaviour of young people was investigated in group discussions with young people. By taking into account the perspective of the young people, subjective views, attitudes and problem situations could also be recorded.
Following the concept of “mixed-methods”, these four methodological approaches to data collection form the basis for further data analysis and interpretation, which are summarised in the project’s research report.
