SOBRU places a particular focus on young people who are Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET). Through multiple methodological approaches, the research project examines why patterns of exclusion vary across communities and local contexts.
The project addresses the persistent and regionally pronounced challenge of social exclusion in South-Eastern Norway—areas where the proportion of NEET remains higher than the national average. Despite longstanding attention, the underlying mechanisms behind this elevated rate remain insufficiently understood. SOBRU aims to strengthen the knowledge base in order to develop more effective measures to prevent future exclusion.
The main objectives of SOBRU include:
- developing new knowledge about why the region faces substantial challenges related to social exclusion
- identifying effective measures to prevent future exclusion
- exploring local variations in exclusion within communities
- advancing understanding of how voluntary organisations and social entrepreneurs can contribute to reducing exclusion.
To achieve these aims, the project is organised into three interlinked work packages:
Work Package 1: Understanding the causes and associations of social exclusion and exploring local variations across communities
Work Package 2: Examining the role of voluntary organisations and social entrepreneurs in reducing exclusion
Work Package 3: Facilitating Youth Panel—engaging young people with lived experience of exclusion as co researchers and develop new collaborative research methods
The intitivative is founded by Sparebank foundations.