Youth, community belonging, planning and power

In order to explain people’s action in the community to which they feel they belong (Arcidiacono, 2006; Brodsky, 2006; De Piccoli and Tartaglia 2006), this study investigates the power perception in relation to the local community, based on two studies of Neapolitan youths. Both research projects, one with 101 participants and the other with 600 participants, looked at youth community belonging, respectively focusing on problems connected to youth unemployment, on related resources (Arcidiacono, Sommantico and Procentese, 2001), and finally on youth planning of future actions in the community (Arcidiacono, Di Napoli and Sarnacchiaro, submitted). A reinterpretation of the categories emerging from these studies was carried out, by first adopting the grounded theory methodology and subsequently the Prillentensky approach (2007) of a greater conceptualisation within the power frame. The classification undertaken suggests that the perception of a lack of youth power is closely linked to their expectations for the local community. A lack of individual and social power, rage and hopelessness is the core evidence among our interviewees. Powerlessness firstly denies empowerment, thus it is as if young people distance themselves from the context. The assumption of this perspective opens new paths through which promoting empowerment processes.