Study on the Significance of Public Measures for Supporting Youth

:Focus on Support Staffs and Students Involved in Long-term Programs

Abstract

This study conducts interview surveys with the support staffs planning and operating long-term programs as a public measure for supporting youth and the youth who participate in the long-term program. Thus this study elucidates how the youth can satisfy their “expressiveness” and “instrumentality” in the program. This study focuses on an optional business entitled “Intensive Training Program Project for Unemployed Youth” under the Regional Youth Support Station Project.

The results reveal that the support staffs and each support activity of the long-term program provided both of “expressive support” and “instrumental support”, and that the students satisfied their own “expressiveness” and “instrumentality” during the long-term program.

In summary, this study presents two points of consideration. First, in analyzing support activities for youth that can provide great significance, elucidating the multidimensional intentions that the support staffs invest into each support activity is necessary. Second, identifying the elements and foundations indispensable to meaningful youth-support activities and re-questioning the effectiveness of public measures for supporting youth are possible by accumulating studies that examine the subjective perception of youth.