Young People Not in Employment or Education – Lived Experiences and Pathways Forward in a Rural Context

What leads young people in rural areas into social exclusion – and how do they find pathways forward? Through their own stories, we generate knowledge that can strengthen local interventions and help prevent others from being left behind.

A collection of buildings in the countryside with fields all around.

This collaborative project between Mid Sweden University and the Municipality of Sollefteå focuses on young people not in employment or education (NEET), a growing public health and welfare challenge, particularly in rural areas. The project aims to increase understanding of how young people themselves describe their pathways into social exclusion and how local interventions can be developed to better meet their needs.

Through narrative interviews with young people who are or have been participants in the initiative “Unga till arbete eller studier” (UTAS; Young People into Work or Studies), the project explores how their life situation, self-image, and prospects are affected. The findings are then fed back to school professionals, where focus groups with teachers, student health services, and school leaders are conducted to examine how schools’ preventive and health-promoting work can be strengthened.

The project is expected to generate new knowledge about young people’s living conditions in rural areas and provide a concrete basis for developing local interventions.