Getting on or getting by: Young people's everydaylife strategies at the margins of society

The financial crisis has hit hard across Europe. Especially young people at the margins of the educational system and the labor market seem to be particularly vulnerable to these (and wider) social changes. Alongside economic crisis we are witnessing other profound social changes. Pedersen (2012) points to a shift from welfare state to competition state. This development entails an increased focus on employability and competition, and education is in Denmark highlighted as the answer to global completion and to social problems of exclusion. The latest social policy-reforms thus marks a significant shift in focus from unemployment to ‘educational readiness’ (kontanthjælpsreform 2014). This paper draws on a qualitative study amongst Danish young people at the very margins of society. In addition to dealing with unemployment and low levels of education, these young people are often struggling with a number of structural, social and personal difficulties (eg. homelessness, druguse, mental health problems, lack of family and other networks etc). Statistics show that this group is increasing (Andersen 2012, Benjaminsen & Lauritzen 2013). We have substantial knowledge about specific issues related to social disadvantage. But we know less about the complex interplay between such issues, which these young people are often forced to deal with in their everyday lives. In the paper we focus on the different strategies these young people apply in their everyday lives and in regards to future hopes and dreams. Furthermore, we ask which role social and structural changes play in regards to processes of social inclusion/exclusion.