Youth Organizations and Social Inclusion: Discourse and Participatory Practices

Abstract

In this article we analyse how youth organisations operating in Poland shape and implement inclusive activities in their discourse and participatory practices. Previous studies have shown that different levels of social inclusion can be found in the discourse of organizations, from formal access to equal opportunities to the full use of young people’s potential. We selected four youth
organizations for the study: AIESEC Polska, CI UNESCO, ATD Czwarty Świat and CIM Horyzonty, whose documents and online posts were subjected to qualitative content analysis. The findings indicate that the highest number of inclusion indicators appeared in the case of ATD Czwarty Świat, and the discourse was dominated by aspects related to access, participation and development
of human potential. The results emphasize the need for conscious shaping of inclusive practices in order to avoid superficial symbolic inclusion and provide real support for marginalized groups of youth, which is key to effective social integration.