Young people and positive activities: the need for a local perspective

Recent policy and literature have advocated the importance of access to positive activities for young people as part of the strategy to lessen social disadvantage. This research aimed to explore how ‘typical’ young people in an urban locality make the decision to engage in activities and whether relative social disadvantage has the same affect in this area as that suggested in the literature. A case study approach was used, involving individual interviews with 6 year 7 pupils and 3 service providers linked to a sports college. A further focus group interview helped clarify interpretation. Thematic analysis was used to identify themes and patterns in the data. Generalisations about the pattern of engagement in positive activities for disadvantaged young people were found not to apply to this case study, challenging the media tendency towards negative stereotyping of young people in the area. The need for local solutions to local issues was emphasised as a key issue