AFI-Project in the EU Spotlight

In the project, researchers collaborated with youth in nine European countries to jointly develop new knowledge on how to strengthen young people's social inclusion.

– This is a major recognition of our long-standing work involving youth in research. It also provides direction for new and future projects where we take young people seriously—as co-researchers and partners in development work, says AFI researcher Aina Landsverk Hagen.

The event takes place on June 19, and you can follow it online: Cluster event: Advancing Public Engagement and Citizen Science in the ERA - European Commission (europa.eu).

Youth in the Gamle Oslo District Played a Key Role

AFI researchers collaborated with youth in the Gamle Oslo district to understand how young people experience social inclusion through their first part-time jobs.

We are especially proud of the effort and engagement shown by the young co-researchers from Gamle Oslo in their meetings with politicians and decision-makers—it’s truly inspiring!” – Researcher Aina Landsverk Hagen.

One of them was co-researcher Chaymaa Aberkane, pictured here with the prototype of the exhibition based on findings from YouCount, displayed at the Intercultural Museum in Oslo in May 2023.

Photographer Dichino Nguyen and other young people from the media group Ildfluene worked together to develop the exhibition and document the process.

Co-researcher Chaymaa Aberkane, at the Intercultural Museum in Oslo. Photo: Dichino Nguyen from the media group Ildfluene.

An Important Signal from the EU

The goal of the YouCount EU project was to develop and test citizen social science in social science research across various European contexts, and to evaluate the benefits and challenges of this research approach.

– The invitation to Brussels is an important signal from the EU about where the focus will lie in future research policy. It’s great that AFI and OsloMet are being recognized as leading research institutions in this important field, says project leader and AFI researcher Reidun Norvoll.

Citizen science is often defined as the involvement of citizens or communities in all or parts of the research process.

– It’s about society and researchers working together to solve key societal challenges, explains Norvoll.

Aiming to Strengthen Inclusion

Social inclusion means that a person can participate in society, for example, through work, feeling a sense of belonging to others and to the place they live, or being an active citizen.

The project was based on societal challenges related to the fact that many young people in Europe are at risk of social exclusion for various reasons.

– There is a lot of research on exclusion, but we want to find out what promotes social inclusion—and what young people themselves think about it, says Norvoll.

Ready with a New, Major Project

AFI researcher Hagen and colleagues have taken the experiences from YouCount and built a new, large collaborative project called YouHope—this time with young co-researchers in the Nordic countries.

– We look forward to exploring new topics together with youth in Scandinavian cities in the coming years, and to building on the insights we gained through the YouCount EU project—especially in terms of alternative research communication and collaboration with art and cultural institutions like the Intercultural Museum and the youth editorial group Ildfluene, concludes Hagen.