Finding a home in the diversity : About young people's experience of integrational work in a multicultural congregation

This study is about a group of young people aged 15–22, with different ethnic backgrounds and how they perceive and experience work on integration and diversity within the youth work in Uniting Church in Sweden located in Södertälje. The study is based on interviews with three young people, an employed pastor in the congregation and a representative from the congregational board. Different themes emerged in the interviews which were then analyzed with the help of some key concepts, a theory regarding structures and the construction of identity, and a theory regarding theology and practice within congregations. The study shows that it is important to reflect on communication and that communication between diverse groups, ethnic or other, can be challenging in a congregation. Also, that young people who grow up between different cultures in a congregation may have difficulty identifying with a group.