Action strategies among young people on the margins of Danish society

Over the past 30 years, it has been a political aim to minimise the group of young people in NEET positions in Denmark. However, the number has remained relatively stable and the situation continues to call for further political attention and research knowledge. Much of the existing knowledge about young people in marginal positions is characterised by a focus on risk factors and measures that aim at preventing marginalisation in regards to education and labour market participation, whereas research that unfolds young people’s own experiences in a broader everyday life perspective is scarce.
In this chapter, we present such an analysis of young people in marginal positions, their experiences, and everyday lives. We use the analytical concept of action strategies, which facilitates an analysis of three different kinds of individual strategies that incorporate a broader understanding of the life situations of young people. The different strategies that emerge from the analysis are: Distrust Strategy, Isolation Strategy, and Value Strategy. Using this analytical design, our ambition is to provide a more differentiated picture of young people on the margins of Danish society, and how their actions intertwine with the structural conditions framing their lives.