Exploring how community participation in the present contributes to the relational wellbeing of young refugees living in Norway

Abstract

Background and purpose: It all started with an observation I made, as a teacher, of my students with a minority background. A noticeable physical and social division between them and the rest of the class made me wonder about this phenomenon and the nature of these students' relationships outside school. Research question: My master's thesis deals with the following question: How has community participation in the present contributed to the relational wellbeing of young refugees living in Norway? Methodology: This thesis' data is based on pre-registered data collected as part of a longitudinal study research for 3 years, dealing with the past, present, and future. I will only look at the data set from the present time. The participants are young refugees who came to Norway unaccompanied. The study was conducted in their adult life, several years after arrival. Findings: The results of my analysis revealed two main themes and several subthemes. One main theme has to do with structures for connections, having enough, feeling good, and subthemes i) sports ii) nature walks iii) places of religious practices iv) schools and v) voluntary organisations. The other main theme is reciprocity, which concerns the young refugees' mutual connections. The subthemes under this theme are: i) sense of accomplishment, support, and guidance, ii) cultural aspects: challenges in forming relationships, iii) mutual care: being there for each other; and iv) giving back to the community. Discussion: I use dimensions of relational wellbeing theory to discuss the findings interpretively. The findings are interpreted with the following themes: 1) Norway – a fertile ground for young refugees ‘community participation; 2) Future-oriented dimension of ‘having enough’ 3) ‘Being connected’ and ‘feeling good’ overlap; 4) Reciprocity: promoters and obstacles of relational wellbeing Overarching goal: This thesis aims to shed light on the relational wellbeing of young refugees who have settled in Norway. Instead of viewing them as an issue, it is vital to comprehend their situation and recognize them as integral members of our community