Everyday Violence: Understanding and preventing victimisation and practices of violence among young people

Violence is often a normal part of young people’s everyday lives. Research shows that young people tend to normalize violence, not considering such acts to be violence at all. This project will therefore examine how young people experience violence by holistically studying violence in every part of their everyday lives.

Similarly to gender, violence is here considered to be performative; something that is done. The study will consequently examine how violence is being done by young people in their everyday lives as well as examining what strategies young people use to cope with this violence. This, both in order to increase the understanding of violence in young people’s everyday lives, but also to be able to prevent it.

The project will last for two years and will include eleven focus group interviews, using Photovoice methodology. In this interactive method, the participants themselves take photos picturing the theme of the study in relation to their everyday lives. This material will then constitute the base for discussion. The photos will then be presented at a collaborative exhibition with the participants.

The project will provide a deeper and more holistic understanding of what violence actually is for these youths. It will also identify the practices of violence permeating every aspect of their everyday lives and provide a deeper understanding of how young people cope with this exposure to violence. This knowledge will in turn generate suggestions for prevention strategies and policies in order to prevent violence in the future. By examining how violence is experienced in different places, this study will also provide insights regarding the planning and generating of safe spaces for youth. Overall, this project will provide a deeper, more problematized understanding of violence among youth.