Underjordisk verksamhet : En studie om ideellt arbete och ungdomars identitet i ett "utsatt" område

Sammanfattning: The aim of this study is to explore what motivates youth from so called “exposed” areas to commit to voluntary work, and how the youth view their own role and the role of the organisation in a context of social mobilization. In order to answer the research questions of this study, the commitment of youth in a non-profit organization has been studied using several different methods of data collection. In order to measure the function of motivation amongst the youth, the survey Volunteer Functions Index (VFI) has been used. VFI is a tool used to measure motivation based on what functions an activity performs in the life of the individual. In order to achieve a greater understanding and be able to explore aspects that the VFI does not cover, four semi-structured interviews were conducted with current and former members of the organization. In order to better understand the context of the organization and to be able to ask more questions during the interviews, a participant observation was done within the work of the organization. The study shows that the youth that participate in the study perceive their commitment in the organization as an important part of their identity and that the identity is an important aspect of what possible actions are perceived to be available and attractive. It also seems as if the commitment to the organization is tied to the opportunity to change the social conditions for one self and others. The study also shows that the organization has been more successful in achieving social mobilization amongst girls than amongst boys, and that some of the participants attribute this to the gender roles that permeate the area