The research community “Becoming Adults in a Changing World” contributes to youth welfare by promoting research and activities concerning the phase between adolescence and adulthood (ages 12–24) and the rapidly changing world in which the young people of today are growing up.

Becoming adults

Early adulthood is the phase in which young people take greater control of their lives. This control can be witnessed in four areas:

• After completing secondary school, young people progress to further education. It is in this phase that young people take their first steps towards choosing a career and forging their professional identity, before transitioning to a job that grants them financial autonomy and finding an affordable place to live.

• Becoming an adult also involves experiments in personal interactions and relationships with peers – both platonic and romantic. Young people’s relationships with their parents and teachers also transform in this phase. Their attention shifts to their peers, and they join various types of ‘groups’.
• In this environment, in which they are surrounded by a diverse group of people, young adults start to find their own feet: they discover their personal, gender, medical, religious and cultural identities and how to make their way in the world. Moreover, they figure out not only what makes them unique, but also what binds them to other people.
• Lastly, early adulthood is a phase in which young people learn to use their own voice and more frequently express their opinion on a variety of issues. In addition to pursuing a say in ethical or medical dilemmas, such as the vaccination debate, young people also seek greater political influence and legal rights.

Changing world

Becoming an adult is not an individual process, but one that is closely bound up with the global, economic, digital and ecological context in which young people come of age circa 2022–2023. Firm career plans and job security are no longer guarantees for a stable future. Another factor is that young people are living in a society that is increasingly online and dominated by apps and social media. Furthermore, more attention is being paid in this day and age to ethic and sexual diversity. While this opens the door to greater personal freedom, it can also lead to increased polarisation. Finally, climate change is forcing young people to think about their lifestyle and behaviour choices, while the ecological dilemmas that they are faced with add further pressure.

Toekomst DenkTank

Involving youth is central to the aims of the community. One of the key ways of doing this is through the ‘Toekomst DenkTank’, which roughly translates as Think Tank for the Future. This is a diverse group of young people who provide input and advice to the community as well as having the opportunity to participate in different forms of research.

The themes of BACW: a matrix of challenges

What does it mean and what does it take to become an adult in our changing world? How do we best support young people at this phase of their lives? These are, of course, deep, complex, and multifaceted questions.

To give some structure and focus to the work of the community we have identified sixteen major themes. These come together in a matrix which is built around four of the perpetual issues young people need to navigate in their transition to adulthood, and four key factors in our current social environment which raise both challenges and opportunities.

This is a matrix in development and is not firmly set, but can serve as a starting point to see if and where your interests align with the focus the Becoming Adults community. If you have a particular affinity for one of the themes, please don’t hesitate to contact us at becomingadults@uu.nl.

Similarly, please contact us if you are passionate about a related area that doesn’t seem to be adequately addressed.