In the answers to the main topics of democracy, environmental protection, but also the Corona crisis, a distinction was made as to whether the 15 to 24-year-olds belong to clubs or not.
For example, around 90 percent of members of an association feel part of society, compared to only 72 percent among the young general public. 80 percent of the members are of the opinion that “we shouldn’t use up more resources than we can grow back”. According to the study, eight out of ten young people believe that democracy is the best form of government, compared to nine out of ten members of an association.
Association work also strengthens self-confidence. Association members are more likely to agree “that they have a number of good qualities” (95 percent among members, 80 percent among youth) and “can handle most problems on their own” (92 percent strongly/fairly agree; youth 82 percent).
“Rather good” psyche
Members of association youth work got through the crisis better mentally, but their mental health was better before that.
Before the pandemic, around 70 percent of members described their mental health as “good” or “fairly good”, compared to 57 percent for the general public. While around every third member reports that since the start of the last lockdown (and up to the time of the survey) they had never felt less pleasure in their activities, this only applies to one in six young people overall.
The BJV feels confirmed by these results in their work for more than 1.5 million children. “Children and young people are growing up in a time of multiple crises,” says BJV chairwoman Sabrina Prochaska. “As a result, many young people feel powerless and insecure. Trust in democracy has also fallen. Child and youth work is an important contact point in times like this.”
In order for youth work to work, it needs the right framework. In addition to the already announced increase in federal youth funding, Prochaska calls for an annual inflation adjustment. Measures such as additional days off or reduced tariffs for the climate ticket are also needed.
Source: Nachrichten
