Browsing by Author "Räsänen, Johanna"

The purpose of this study was to find out what handicrafts and group participation mean for young girls and why the participation of the group is perceived as important. The study also aims to describe what crafts look like in social youth work and what significance it has for girls to be only among girls. Previous research has shown that group activities play a role in strengthening self-knowledge and confidence. Participation in group activities increases the young person's own activity and agency (Ståhlberg, 2019). Previous studies have also shown that making handicrafts has mental and physical effects that increase well-being (Pöllänen, 2017). The aim of the study was to find out the meanings of handicrafts, participation in a group and Girls' House activities for the girls participating in the study. The study was conducted at the Girls' House. It is an open place for all those who define themselves as girls and women. The subject of the study was the Open Handicrafts group, which met at the house once a week. The participants in the group were 14-25 years old. The researcher herself acted as a group supervisor during the study. The research material was collected using ethnographic methods by observing the group, as well as interviewing four girls who visit the house regularly. The interviews were semi-structured thematic interviews and the interviews were transcribed into text. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze the data with the aim of finding similarities and differences in the themes and meanings of the study. The research reveals that there is a demand and need for a place for girls. Many meanings for being among girls were found. Some of the girls felt impressed with the growth of their own identity and peer support helped them grow into women. For many girls, participating in a handicraft group was more of a daily activity than a hobby. The group was often perceived as more important than making handicrafts. The Girls' house is perceived as a reliable and safe place to get peer support from other girls and women.