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KENDİNİ KEŞFEDEN GENÇLİK

2025-1-TR01-KA153-YOU-0003020592025Mobility of youth workersongoing
Countries: TR|PT|HU · Grant: €35,836
Awareness about the European UnionBridging intercultural, intergenerational and social divideDigital youth work

Objectives

The study titled "Youth: Find Your "Self"" is a project that aims to support the personal development processes of young people. The main goal of the study is to increase the morale and motivation of young people and encourage them to look to the future with hope. It is aimed to help young people get rid of negative thoughts and the feeling of "nothingness" about their lives. In line with this goal, young people were given the opportunity to get to know themselves and discover their values, and they were made to realize their inner strength. In addition, guidance will be provided to help them set goals for the future and gain the skills to cope with the difficulties they encounter in life. This study aims to help young people achieve a healthier state of mind and use their full potential. Our aim is to address the feelings of worthlessness and nihilism that are commonly observed among young people today and to mitigate their negative effects. Research indicates that young individuals increasingly feel worthless, are withdrawing from society, and perceive themselves as lacking a future. These emotions not only adversely affect their individual lives but also harm social cohesion and community harmony. There is a widespread sense of worthlessness and emptiness among youth globally, which is documented in various sources. For example, in their work "The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement" (Twenge & Campbell, 2018), the authors discuss how young people are caught between increasing narcissism and feelings of worthlessness in modern society. The impact of social media and the digital world creates a constant environment of comparison and feelings of inadequacy. A study by the Pew Research Center (2019) titled "Most U.S. Teens See Anxiety and Depression as a Major Problem Among Their Peers" reveals that anxiety and depression rates among young people are rising, attributed to social and psychological factors that lead them to feel worthless. The book "Disorder: Understanding Our Obsession with Technology and Overcoming Its Hold on Us" (Rosen, Cheever, & Carrier, 2012) discusses the effects of technology and social media on the psychological health of young individuals. The constant state of being online increases feelings of worthlessness and loneliness. A considerable amount of literature exists on this topic. Furthermore, when examining Turkish literature related to feelings of worthlessness among youth, several significant studies emerge: Kaya and Yılmaz (2021) in their work titled "Social Reflections of Worthlessness and Nihilism in Youth" explore this issue. Demir and Kaya (2020) conduct a study titled "An Examination of Meaning Search and Perception of Worthlessness in Youth." Arslan (2016) investigates the effects of value education on youth in his meta-analysis titled "The Impact of Value Education on Youth." Research shows that the pervasive sense of worthlessness among youth stems from various factors such as the rapidly changing dynamics of modern society, the widespread use of social media, economic uncertainties, and future anxieties. For instance, Twenge and Campbell (2018) emphasize that young people constantly compare themselves to others through social media, which exacerbates feelings of worthlessness. Additionally, a study by the Pew Research Center (2019) shows that more than half of young people feel stressed, anxious, and uncertain about their futures. These findings suggest that young individuals do not find sufficient space for themselves in society and are unaware of their potentials.

Project partners (5)