Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1517916
11 Unity SUNDAY 24 MARCH 2024 Dr Audrey Friggieri Department of Youth and Community studies RESEARCH about 'young people who are not in education, employment or training' (NEET) is voluminous, often conducted quantitatively and from a judgemental stance that views this area and the young people concerned as a social problem (e.g. Arnardottir, 2020; Bonanomi & Rosina, 2020). Unfortunately, scarce attention is given to the lived experiences of being NEET, a gap that my study at the Faculty for Social Wellbeing attempts to address by researching young persons who find themselves suspended between past com- pulsory schooling and the transition into adulthood, which is primarily symbolised by entry into the labour market. This research study seeks to shed more light on NEET young people's life worlds to inform policy decision-mak- ing about education, training, and em- ployment during late teenage hood and early adulthood. The main questions that the research seeks to answer are the following: (i) How do young people in the situation labelled 'NEET' inter- pret their situation? (ii) What was their experience of school like? Moreover, (iii) How do they visualise their future – where do they see themselves in five years, for example? This research prioritises each partici- pant's unique experiences and life tra- jectories by adopting the approach of hermeneutic phenomenology. The data was collected through participant ob- servation and semi-structured in-depth interviews with fourteen 18-24-year-old young men and women – 8 males and six females – and analysed using Inter- pretative Phenomenological Analysis (Smith et al., 2022). The participants were recruited from Youth Guarantee and through personal networks. The interview questions addressed percep- tions of the participants' lives, how they perceived their future, the impact of school experiences, their constructs of success and failure, and the impact of relationships with significant others. The findings yielded seven personal experiential themes shared by all the participants: Personal narratives of hardship – this theme highlighted how the partic- ipants have had to battle on a personal level throughout their school years, cir- cumstances that put added pressure on them, a weight on their shoulders that they often bore silently out of shame, fear of judgment, or the inability to ar- ticulate their suffering; The impact of previous school expe- riences – this theme draws attention to school practices that tend to perpetuate discrimination, potentially alienating different young people from engaging in education and training; Use of time – the everyday realities of young people in Malta who are not in education, employment, or train- ing (NEET) are foregrounded in this theme, focusing on how they spend typ- ical days. This analysis reveals different temporal organisations and the activi- ties they consider essential to structure their time. Success and failure – this theme demonstrates the participants' values and beliefs as independent human be- ings searching for meaning; Life attitudes – this theme sheds more light on whether the participants feel that they are victims or whether they feel that they have the power to de- termine their destiny and the extent to which these beliefs reflect their choices; Coping – the research participants' particular knowledge and skills in deal- ing with life, and especially with chal- lenging situations, are encapsulated in this theme; Future projections – this theme re- veals how these young people visualise themselves in five years, and how this projection might relate to how they look at themselves at this stage. Most noteworthy is the fact that the theme of resistance to structures – and therefore agency – is shared across all the major themes on various levels. Their exercise of personal power indi- cates that they are not mere victims of imposed structures but can act on their own devices to transform themselves and their circumstances, too. From a social justice perspective, the NEET label is inadequate because of its blind- ness to the complexity and flux that characterises the lives of young people everywhere. In this sense, it cannot be used as an effective tool to address so- cial inequalities and injustice. The re- search participants wished they could have been understood more at school and given more time and attention without resorting to labels and 'special treatment'. The participants wanted school to engage with their realities and knowledge rather than imposing uni- formity, a false neutrality, and inflexible syllabi that would be irrelevant in a 'liq- uid' world and an ever-changing future job market. References Arnardottir, J. R. (2020). Transition from school to work: Icelandic young people in NEET. Youth on the Move: Tenden- cies and Tensions in Youth Policies and Practices. https://www.jstor.org/stable/j. ctvx8b70v.6 Bonanomi, A., & Rosina, A. (2020). Employment status and well-being: A lon- gitudinal study on young Italian people. Social Indicators Research, 0123456789. Smith, J. A., Flowers, P., & Larkin, M. (2022). Interpretative phenomenological analysis: Theory, method and research. (2nd ed.). Sage. 180-190. LIVED EXPERIENCES: Young and N.E.E.T. Jeanine Balzan Engerer M.Phil/Ph.D. Candidate Department of Counselling IN my experience working with adolescents aged 16 to 18 years old, I can wholeheartedly sym- pathise with the growing pains associated with this 'in-between' stage. Such pains include the academic pressures to succeed, the navigation of relationships – both friendships and romantic ones – and the struggle to un- derstand and contain one's emo- tions. During the transition from childhood to adulthood we grap- ple with our identity formation. As Eric Erikson (1968) postu- lates, at this stage in life we are constructing our unique iden- tity and exploring where we be- long in this world. This journey of self-discovery comes with its pressures, that of desiring to fit in yet at the same time wanting to find one's true self. As human beings it comes nat- ural to us to compare with those around us, however at an age were wanting to be like others is enhanced, comparison can take priority. Today's digital age takes comparison to another level with the use of social media. As we can imagine, comparing will in- evitably make me feel 'less than others' and this augments the insecurities already felt at that age. Having a trusted and profes- sional adult whilst going through this unrestful period is vital. As a counsellor in a sixth form school, it is a privilege to be trusted by young adults in their journey of life. I feel blessed to witness the benefits of counselling and how it can help someone live a better quality of life. Reflecting on my practice, it is clear that adolescents highly benefit from an attentive listen- er who validates their experi- ence and provides basic psych- oeducation on how to deal with their struggles. The therapeutic relationship assists adolescents to feel seen and understood, which in turn empowers them to fight their battles. By engaging in counselling, adolescents are equipped with communication and interpersonal skills, together with an ability to change self-de- feating behaviours. Conversely, when adolescents who are strug- gling do not find the appropriate support, they may end up feeling lonely and isolated which will only increase the mental illness. Sadly, I hear many stories of peo- ple who for one reason or anoth- er could not find professional mental health support and ended up feeling defeated and helpless. The challenge of this transi- tional phase is further complicat- ed by the lack of up-to-date liter- ature focused on this age group. Unfortunately, counsellors and therapists who work with adoles- cents aged 16 to 18 years old can- not refer to current research on this matter, resulting in dubious therapeutic techniques. To mitigate against such a state of affairs, I have initiated a re- search study which endeavours how young adults perceive and experience counselling. I am in- trigued to find out what works for them and what does not, fo- cusing on which creative tools they find helpful when navi- gating their identity formation. Moreover, I am exploring how counselling affects young adults in their relationships and their life in general. Listening to young adult's experiences is enriching my knowledge on how to meet adolescents' unique needs in therapy and am eager to contrib- ute valuable information in this field. The results of this study shall be shared to the general public in the foreseeable future. Identity formation during adolescence: the promise of counselling