1

Between strength and stress

Immigrant youngsters in an urban neighbourhood in The Hague

dr. Vincent Smit13 September 2011

2

The Hague: a metropolitan area

• Third city of the Netherlands• Center of government• International institutions• multi-ethnic population• Historically gap between classes• Lack of connections

3

tasks and targets

• International competition • City of law, peace and justice• Quality of life in the city

4

Local: White Paper 2011 about integration

• “different past, one future”– Encourage participation– Knowlegde of Dutch – Norms and values

5

Between assimilation and multiculturalism

• Triple messages in a mix• Different views on government• Pressure on immigrants

6

The social-economic and social-cultural agenda

• Focus on social-cultural integration • A social-economic agenda and discrimination

hardly mentioned

7

Identity : multiple and dynamic

• Dominance of “culturalism” • Reality: dynamic identities

8

The pressure to integrate

• Focus on civic integration: focus on immigrants

• Perspective of “us vs. them” • Reality is heterogenity

9

Question

• Match between formal integration policy and the life of urban youngsters?

10

Youngsters in the multi-ethnic neighourbood the Schilderswijk

• 33.000 inhabitants, 11.000 young• 95 nationalities • Many households with an income at a

minimumlevel

11

Not between, but with two cultures

• Most young people find their way• Between Home, Street and School• Composing one’s own cultural repertoire

12

Being ambitious in a risky environment

• The future• Neighbourhood is familiar• Environment with risks: unsafety, stress,

tensions at home

13

Boys have plenty of time, girls are stressed for time

• Boys hang on the street, risks of failure• Girls: severe social control, expected to take

care of household and family

14

Home is not the school

• Parents know little about school• Young people seek support within the own

circle of friends

15

tasks

• Support in the complex life: buddies, confidentials

• Welfare: better match between supply and demand

• Bridges between different lifeworlds

16

In the mean time: many projects in the neighbourhood

• “ Broad primary schools” • “ 12+ facility” • Visiting multiproblemfamilies• Civic integration• Health and sport• Etc.

17

Political priorities

• Urban policy of integration doesn’t match with every daylife in Schilderswijk

• Growing up in a risky environment in need for another perspective– Include the social-economic dimension– Reciprocity– New coalition between government –

professionals – parents – youngsters

18

Futher on

• using and stimulating the strength of youngsters in immigrant families?

• mitigating the stress in the integration proces: • diminishing the gap between formal policy

and the real life of youngsters in immigrant families