Suchergebnisse

NEETs are a social category specific to today's society characterized by increasing inequalities between people, precariousness, and insecurity. At the level of the majority of the population but also among the authorities and specialists (economists, sociologists, psychologists, etc.) the dominant perception is negative on this category of populations often associated with the underclass, dangerous class (Avis, 2014), people getting nowhere (Bynner, Ferri & Shepherd, 1997) or people at risk (Conrad, 2005). The interest for this category of the population is even higher for Bulgaria and Romania because the share of NEETs is the highest in the EU: 23.8% in Romania and 20.7% in Bulgaria (Eurostat database). This paper aims to analyze this category of population to obtain a more realistic image of NEETs, especially in the two Eastern European countries. One of the few positive effects resulting from the accentuation of interest for this category of the population consists in increasing the number of documents (articles, reports, books, etc.) that analyze NEETs. By using alternative research methodologies (literature review) these documents can provide relevant information on NEETs and can provide several clarifications on their situation at the national and European levels.

Given the increasing value of lifelong learning, self-directed learning (SDL) has become increasingly relevant over time. In rural areas with limited service resources, the main approach to NEET-youth depicts them more as young people in need, and less as people with the potential for self-development and participation in lifelong learning. The growing importance of people's return to education, flexible learning paths, and the need for quick adaptation and re-training in a rapidly changing society emphasizes the need to design service models for NEET-youth. This is in order to support their SDL skills, and indicate the service providers' role throughout the process. The empirical study in Estonia was grounded on the Double Diamond service design method using quantitative data on the respondents' readiness for SDL, and also qualitative data from service providers about their roles and the affordances of their services in supporting SDL skills. The model was tested with rural NEET-youth.

In the last ten years, the settlement and integration of refugee families and asylum seekers have represented some of the main challenges faced by European territories. People in need of international protection can face challenges in being settled and integrated into rural areas where it is often difficult to find co-ethnic support networks. This case study provides relevant data on how the settlement of young asylum seekers is carried out in the main town of a rural area in Catalunya. It explores the impact of a mentoring programme which consists of providing informal support to newcomers in language acquisition (Catalan), as well as inclusion in the job market and social capital. We interviewed almost all participants of that programme in this rural area, gathering in-depth interviews with mentees (with eight young asylum seekers) and two discussion groups with their mentors (living in the main town of the region). Our findings showed that whereas the main objectives of the programme are providing linguistic support, social capital and inclusion to the job market, mentoring is more focused on providing emotional support and cultivating a sense of belonging. Various outcomes will be discussed which consider the types of support that were present in mentoring relationships and how bonding and bridging social capital were fostered, namely the elements that can promote a more inclusive and welcoming rural community ; This research was funded by the RECERCAIXA research fund (Recercaixa 2018–2021 UdG). This publication is based upon work from COST Action CA18213 Rural NEET Youth Network, supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology)

The Covid-19 pandemic provoked critical changes to welfare in Europe, requiring the dematerialisation of programmes and services while relying mainly on remote support. This study aims to present insights into how European public employment services have coped and adapted to the pandemic challenges, particularly regarding the digitalisation and delivery of services to young people in rural areas. It focuses on three case studies from distinct European regions: Portugal, Bulgaria, and Lithuania. It is based on an exploratory survey of public employment services national offices and qualitative data collected from public employment services offices in rural settings. It highlights the advantages and dangers of the adoption of digitalisation processes, namely considering literacy and accessibility in diverse contexts. It concludes that despite cultural and regional differences, all three countries evidenced an acceleration in service provision due to digitalisation and were capable of adjusting their practices to remote delivery. However, rural areas faced delays due to poor infrastructure, and after the pandemic, public employment privileged on-site delivery, since it is considered more effective in the training and counselling of young people.