ProtectionNorm (BMBF)

BMBF joint project of Kiel University of Applied Sciences, the University of Hildesheim Foundation, Landshut University of Applied Sciences and the University of Kassel

The BMBF-funded joint project "Protection concepts in child and youth work" in the "Research on sexualized violence" funding line aims to survey the views and assessments of young people and their definitions of "normality" with regard to sexuality and violence and to incorporate them into the development of protection concepts. Existing protection concepts have so far hardly been based on young people's understanding of normality. The participatory research project collects the views of young people across the entire spectrum of child and youth work.

The project is being carried out in four locations (Kiel, Landshut, Kassel, Hildesheim) with the following focal points: Kiel: youth social work, Kassel: international youth work, Hildesheim: open child and youth work and Landshut: youth association work.

In line with a participatory approach, research groups with practice partners from the four areas of youth work and young people will be set up at each research location and research questions and instruments will be developed jointly in this peer research design. The guiding research questions include how young people deal with sexuality and the violation of personal boundaries in the peer community and what measures and concepts exist in the various areas of youth work to protect young people. In addition, the study asks what is being done in the respective field of child and youth work to proactively address risks among young people.

Together with young people, the SchutzNorm project has researched constructions of normality of violence and sexuality in the contexts of child and youth work in order to give young people, volunteers and professionals a further opportunity to supplement and stimulate their everyday "perception" with and through scientific analyses.