EU: Social Software as a Tool for the Social Inclusion of Marginalised Youngsters

Can ICT, and more specifically social software, support the social inclusion of marginalised youngsters? What is the role of welfare organisations working with such youngsters in this story and what are the main challenges that need to be overcome when using social software as a tool to alleviate social exclusion?

This paper presents the preliminary findings of the INCLUSO project, bringing together the results from a literature study, focus group interviews with welfare organisations and youngsters and 4 pilot projects throughout Europe. INCLUSO is a research project funded by the European Commission's 7th Framework programme. The project aims to define and explore the challenges and opportunities met when social software is used by welfare organisations working with marginalised youngsters as a tool to support their approach on alleviating social exclusion.

Positioning paper presented at the IDC2009 workshop: Digital Technologies and Marginalized Youth- Reducing the Gap, on 3 June 2009, in Como, Italy.