Ung och arbetslös i KUBIK

Sammanfattning

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.