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

De afgelopen drie jaar hebben we binnen de community Becoming Adults in a Changing World gewerkt met de ToekomstDenkTank, een groep waarin jongeren zelf een centrale plek kregen in het gesprek over opgroeien in een veranderende wereld. Wat we in dit traject vooral hebben geleerd, is hoe groot het verschil is tussen onderzoek dat over jongeren gaat, en onderzoek dat je daadwerkelijk met jongeren doet. Het klinkt vanzelfsprekend, maar het is in de praktijk allesbehalve eenvoudig. Als je zelf niet meer in die levensfase zit, en opereert vanuit de universitaire context die toch ook een bubbel kan zijn, merk je hoe lastig het is om echt aansluiting te vinden. Jongeren zien je al snel als ‘de universiteit’, als een instituut, en dat kan drempels opwerpen. Tegelijkertijd hebben we ervaren hoe krachtig het is dat zoveel jongeren juist uit eigen beweging naar ons toe kwamen. Dat laat zien dat zij willen meepraten, gehoord willen worden en vooral niet genegeerd mogen worden in onderzoek dat gaat over hun ervaringen en perspectieven. 

In de verschillende bijeenkomsten van de ToekomstDenkTank hebben we samen nagedacht over thema’s die raken aan de overgang naar volwassenheid. Zo stond in één van de ontmoetingen de metafoor van de “River of Life” centraal, waarbij jongeren hun eigen traject naar werk en zelfstandigheid verkenden. Daarbij werd zichtbaar dat het niet alleen om de bestemming gaat, maar dat juist de ontmoetingen onderweg en de onverwachte wendingen betekenisvol zijn. Tijdens een andere bijeenkomst spraken we over politieke participatie en de mogelijkheid van stemrecht vanaf zestien jaar. Jongeren schreven gezamenlijk een reactie op een column in de Volkskrant, waarin zij benadrukten hoe belangrijk het is dat politiek in een taal spreekt die ook voor jongeren begrijpelijk en toegankelijk is. Deze ervaringen maakten duidelijk dat de bijdrage van jongeren inhoudelijk waardevol is en ook kan bijdragen aan de vormgeving van onderzoek. 

Naast de activiteiten die we zelf organiseerden, hebben we ook actief deelgenomen aan initiatieven van anderen binnen en buiten de community. We hebben bijvoorbeeld meegedacht tijdens publieksbijeenkomsten, panels en pop-up events, waar jongeren en onderzoekers samen in gesprek gingen over thema’s als maatschappelijke betrokkenheid, digitalisering en mentale gezondheid. Steeds opnieuw zagen we dat wanneer jongeren zelf worden betrokken, dit leidt tot nieuwe inzichten en een grotere maatschappelijke relevantie. 

Toch hebben deze jaren ons ook geleerd dat betekenisvolle jongerenparticipatie veel vraagt. Het kost tijd, aandacht en voortdurende afstemming om ervoor te zorgen dat jongeren zich niet alleen gehoord, maar ook serieus genomen voelen. Juist omdat we dit nu beter begrijpen, hebben we besloten de ToekomstDenkTank in zijn huidige vorm af te ronden. Niet omdat we de waarde ervan betwisten, maar omdat de mate en kwaliteit van jeugdparticipatie die we zouden willen bereiken niet haalbaar zijn met de middelen die wij als community tot onze beschikking hebben. 

Dat betekent echter niet dat dit het einde is. Integendeel: we blijven ons inzetten als brug tussen jongeren, de samenleving en de universiteit, en we willen betrokken blijven bij de initiatieven die in de afgelopen jaren zijn ontstaan. Wat we uit dit project meenemen, is de overtuiging dat jongerenparticipatie niet als bijzaak gezien mag worden, maar als een wezenlijk onderdeel van hoe we nadenken over hoe we volwassen worden in een snel veranderende wereld. 

Engels  

The past three years we have within the community Becoming Adults in a Changing World worked with the ToekomstDenkTank, a group in which young people themselves were given a central placein the conversation about growing up in a changing world. What we have mainly learned in this process is how big the difference is between research that is about young people, and research that you actually do with young people. It sounds self-evident, but in practice it is anything but simple. If you yourself are no longer in that life stage, and operate from the university context which can also be a bubble, you notice how difficult it is to really connect. Young people quickly see you as ‘the university’, as an institute, and that can raise barriers. At the same time we have experienced how powerful it is that so many young people precisely of their own accord came to us. That shows that they want to join the conversation, want to be heard and above all must not be ignored in research that is about their experiences and perspectives. 

In the different meetings of the ToekomstDenkTank we have thought together about themes that touch on the transition to adulthood. For example, in one of the meetings the metaphor of the “River of Life” was central, in which young people explored their own trajectory towards work and independence. There it became visible that it is not only about the destination, but that precisely the encounters along the way and the unexpected turns are meaningful. During another meeting we spoke about political participation and the possibility of voting rights from sixteen years old. Young people jointly wrote a response to a column in the Volkskrant, in which they emphasized how important it is that politics speaks in a language that is also understandable and accessible for young people. These experiences made clear that the contribution of young people is valuable in content and can also contribute to the shaping of research. 

Besides the activities that we organized ourselves, we also actively participated in initiatives of others within and outside the community. We for example joined in during public meetings, panelsand pop-up events, where young people and researchers entered into conversation together about themes such as social engagement, digitalization and mental health. Time and again we saw that when young people themselves are involved, this leads to new insights and a greater societal relevance. 

Yet these years have also taught us that meaningful youth participation asks a lot. It takes time, attention and continuous coordination to make sure that young people not only feel heard, but also taken seriously. Precisely because we now understand this better, we have decided to conclude the ToekomstDenkTank in its current form. Not because we question its value, but because we are not able to reach the quantity and quality of youth-participation we would like within the limited resources that are available to our community. 

That however does not mean that this is the end. On the contrary: we continue to commit ourselves as a bridge between young people, society and the university, and we want to remain involved in the initiatives that have arisen in the past years. What we take from this project is the conviction that youth participation must not be seen as a side issue, but as an essential part of how we think about becoming adult in a rapidly changing world. 

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.