Rewriting the future: Young people’s stories of educational engagement

Abstract

Young people’s educational trajectories are always provisional. This article considers young people’s perspectives about enablers and barriers to continued education, and questions models of aspiration-raising that prioritise particular trajectories
and are critical when young people cannot engage. Participatory methods enabled 30 young people aged 12-24 from disadvantaged areas in northwest England to imagine steps towards future possible selves. Through collaborative story-making with researchers, they established that inter-generational relationships are important to these journeys, especially support
from adults who believed in their capabilities and encouraged young people’s influence over decisions for change.