Ung och arbetslös i KUBIK
Young people may be socially and psychologically strained due to unemployment. In the long run, it could result in learned helplessness, which is, according to Seligman (1993), a psychological condition with similar symptoms to the ones that occur during depression. The condition develops when an individual experiences negative events and, after various unsuccessful attempts to escape or conquer them, the individual finally believes that there is no relation between behavior and consequences. The result is often that the person gives in, or stops, making an effort when new difficult situations occur. Kalix UniverCity runs the project called KUBIK in the communities of Kalix and Överkalix. The project aims at helping unemployed individuals between the ages of sixteen and twenty-four by teaching various strategies to find work or education in combination with personal development in order to avoid social exclusion. The purpose of this thesis was to examine which methods were used in the project to meet the project's aims and if there were factors within the project that prevent learned helplessness. Two coaches and seven individuals that had participated in the project were interviewed. The result showed that the project KUBIK contained the main factors, which according to research, prevent learned helplessness. It was concluded that the project is meeting the aims and that the target group is receiving coaching and exercise in personal development and methods that may facilitate future employment.