newsletter
Written by
Valeria Motta
Over the course of the last two years, we conducted a phenomenologically informed qualitative study grounded in young people’s experiences. Our study explored how young people experience belonging when their usual ways of connecting are challenged. We interviewed refugee youth, neurodivergent adolescents, school-disengaged students, and high-performing athletes, and uncovered patterns in how belonging forms, breaks down, and repairs itself.
At its core, belonging is about spaces where young people can be genuinely themselves. Our research revealed two forces constantly at play, recognition (being seen and valued for who you are) and regulation (the work of managing oneself when young people feel not accepted).
We also found that environments play a crucial role. Certain environments naturally support belonging through three key features, they are predictable (you know what to expect), they value different strengths (not just one type of success), and they are voluntary (you choose to be there). Remarkably, there are places where connection happens against all odds. These spaces become what one participant called ‘miraculous’. Spaces experienced as having this quality were mentioned by all participants. That is, they not only offer opportunities to participate but are perceived as offering opportunities. Some are places where small, consistent acts of care accumulate into something transformative. And others create possibilities for unexpected but welcome experiences.
Young people facing multiple challenges encounter more moments where belonging fractures. But when met with understanding, these threshold moments can deepen connection rather than destroy it.
When formal structures fail, young people often turn to play. Whether through sports, theatre, or music, play creates temporary worlds where hierarchies dissolve and connection can be rebuilt. As one of our participants explained, games create “fair fields” where everyone meets as equals.
What may help in practice? Belonging grows less from grand gestures than from ordinary, reliable acts of recognition. Interesting questions that arise are how we can design fair, opt-in spaces, recognise diverse talents, enable genuine choice and embed playful activities in everyday life whilst always leaving room for young people to experience a little ‘magic’. Our upcoming article develops these ideas in detail, tracing the recognition-regulation dynamics and outlining practical design principles for educational and youth settings.
Valeria Motta is a philosopher and senior postdoctoral researcher at ASPbelong. Her work brings phenomenology and qualitative research to bear on experiences that emerge in encounters and dis-encounters with others and the self, including time, embodiment and how worlds feel welcoming or estranging.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
This work is co-funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) under the UK government’s Horizon Europe funding guarantee [grant numbers 10076369, 10077956, 10079657, 10083622, tbc].
This work is co-funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) under the UK government’s Horizon Europe funding guarantee. Grant numbers: 10077933 (University of Birmingham), 10076369 (Make Real), 10077956 (The Unicorn Theater), 10079657 (Queen Mary University of London), 10083622 (Adam Barnard).