Maritta Törrönen

Insecurity of young people

This article critically examines the concept of insecurity as experienced by young people in Finland. Young people’s own definitions of insecurity show how 13–17-year-olds assess their lives and ontological insecurities and threats in the world. The topic is analyzed from a social sciences perspective and interpreted within the theoretical framework of risk society by Ulrich Beck (1996; 2001), Anthony Giddens (1991) and Franz-Xavier Kaufmann (1970). The data was collected from schools in five regions in Finland. A total of 922 respondents aged 13 to 17 completed a questionnaire in classroom settings. This article analyzes only the data elicited by open-ended questions, which were answered by 683 young people. Young people’s experiences of insecurity were classified into 16 categories, which were then divided under three headings: (i) the inner circle, that is, insecurity related to personal emotions and inner experiences; (ii) the social circle, that is, insecurity related to social interaction; and (iii) the outer circle, that is, insecurity related to external realities. Young people’s definitions of insecurity reveal their perspective on risk society in which everyone is vulnerable to certain risks.The answers disclose a set of contradictory risks, which are at the same time personal, local and global. First, they connect insecurity to their inner feelings and emotions. Second, they interpret the social relationships and the everyday life experiences in connection with insecurity. Third, insecurity is defined by young people by external realities, such as socio-economic ill-being, violence and war. In the future, more empirical and qualitative research on risk society and how it is experienced by young people in the everyday life is needed. How do young people connect close and distant security issues and insecurity to their everyday life?

Young People Leaving Care: Participatory Research to Improve Child Welfare Practices and the Rights of Children and Young People

Abstract This paper discusses participatory research with young people who are leaving public care in Finland to begin independent lives. The aim of the research, organised by SOS Childrens Villages International, was to bring about change in alternative care arrangements, particularly those involving young peoples transition to independence. The project used a participatory research design based on employing care-leaving peers as co-researchers. This paper adheres to the methodological principles of empowerment in analysing the personal experiences of young people leaving alternative care with the goal of informing good practice. The findings suggest that the peer research method can be an effective means of empowering young people to develop research skills and to be involved in knowledge production, as well as serving as a means of promoting improved services for “care-leavers”, those young people who are leaving either foster care or institutional care. The participatory and peer research method challenges the traditional understandings of expertise and knowledge production. Although the hierarchy between adult researchers and young people as co-researchers is still evident, the method provides possibilities for better understanding the social- and health-service systems and their challenges and pitfalls from a users perspective.

Everyday happiness : the everyday life and well-being of families with children

Home consolidates a family’s everyday life and well-being. The everyday reality that children experience is important for their future and their perceptions of social equality as adults. This book discusses the everyday reality of Finnish families with children, with all its joys and contradictions from the parents’ perspective. It describes people bonding with each other and loving each other, and the challenge of reconciling the demands of working life, financial survival and sharing their lives with each other.

The Conceptualising of Insecurity from the Perspective of Young People

Security is one of the basic needs; it can also be seen as a basic value in Western societies (Niemela, 2000), where more and more systems are developed to guarantee security. Security is a highly valued goal, which may be difficult to reach because of different threats and risks in personal lives and in near and global environments. One indicator of the collective quest for security is evident in the literature and studies on different risks. Over a decade ago, Furedi (1997) wrote about the increase in the use of the word “risk” in literature and scientific research. This article participates in the discussion of insecurity and risks by focusing on the experiences of young people.