”Alla ska prata med oss liksom inte om oss” : En kvalitativ undersökning om ensamkommande ungdomars resurser och upplevelser av delaktighet och självbestämmande.

The intention of this study was to investigate how individuals who arrived to Sweden as unaccompanied children perceived their possibilities of using their strengths to achieve participation and autonomy. The questions posed in the essay aimed to capture the indivi-duals’ experiences of how their participation and autonomy were affected by their abilities, needs and preconditions. The results of this study were reached through a qualitative app-roach. Semi-structured interviews were held in 2015 with five young adults aged 19-21, who arrived to Sweden as unaccompanied children in the years 2010-2012. The material from the interviews was analyzed from three different theoretical perspectives – the sociology of child-hood, resilience and recognition. It was concluded in the study that the five interviewees had the experience of taking responsibility when they arrived, and wanted to continue doing so in Sweden. They possessed qualities such as language skills, social competence, educational ambition and a will to succeed in their new country. However, they were lacking the tools necessary to implement these qualities and become autonomous. In the interviews, the young adults emphasized language skills, obtaining information, gaining recognition and having significant others as key elements in becoming autonomous. A gradually increasing level of autonomy is preferable, where the needs of the young adults are fulfilled, while their com-petence and self-sufficiency is appreciated and confirmed