Motivation and Mastery. Evaluation of Flyt – A Life Skills Programme for Young People in Vulnerable Life situations

To what extent does the programme help to build up the students who participate and make them better equipped to complete and pass upper secondary school?

Flyt is a life skills programme for year 10 pupils in vulnerable life situations. Activities are organised during school holidays, weekends and afternoons. The programme has been devised to play a crucial role in individual pupils’ educations, which, in turn, will have positive social implications.

The main question is to what extent the programme helps to build up the participants and make them better equipped to complete and pass upper secondary school. The fundamental idea is to give young people the tools they need to be able to complete their education

Relevant questions

• To what extent do the participants feel that their life skills have improved?
• Does participation in the programme lead to more friendships?
• Does participation in the programme lead to increased school attendance? 
• To what extent do the participants report that they have gained a better insight into their own wishes and choices for the future? 

Data

Various types of data are collected. Firstly, we follow the groups that complete the Flyt programme in different parts of Norway. They are interviewed at several points in time – before, during and after the programme. The plan is also to obtain information about what they are doing five years after they leave the programme.

In order to draw conclusions about the potential significance of the programme, we also obtain information about control groups, which are as similar as possible to the participants. This enables us to compare the participants in the Flyt programme with their peers. Qualitative interviews are conducted in addition to the quantitative data. 

Relevance

The knowledge they generate is relevant to reducing dropout from upper secondary school and reducing the prevalence of exclusion. The project also aims to help improve the participants’ life skills and give them more knowledge of future work and education options.

Main findings – part I (2018–2021)

•  Increased sense of mastery: While perceived mastery was lower among the participants in Flyt before they started, it was more or less at the same level as their peers after they finished the programme. Their self-esteem also appeared to improve during their participation in the programme.
• New social experiences: The participants generally manage pretty well academically, but face challenges related to social relations. Isolation, loneliness and a sense of exclusion are found throughout. The participants report that they gain useful social training, while many still feel a sense of social exclusion. 
• Geographical differences: The Flyt programme is organised in various parts of Norway, and upbringing conditions vary across the country. Small places can often be difficult for young people who experience social exclusion, as few alternative social arenas are available to them.
• More confident about their choices: The participants report that they have a better basis for choosing a study programme that is right for them.