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‘Iets voor een ander doen om eigenlijk iets voor jezelf te doen’: De individualistische kijk van jongeren op Maatschappelijke Diensttijd
- Amsterdam University Press
- Source: Mens & Maatschappij, Volume 99, Issue 2, Jun 2024, p. 126 - 153
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- 01 Jun 2024
Abstract
‘Acting selflessly to effectively do something for yourself’: The individualistic perspective of young adults on Maatschappelijke Diensttijd
Concerns about young adults’ social engagement in the Netherlands have prompted the implementation of Maatschappelijke Diensttijd (MDT), a service-learning policy for young adults, but it remains ambiguous what motivates and withholds young adults from participation. This study therefore focuses on the question ‘how do young adults weigh their motivations for participating in MDT?’ Young adults’ volunteerability to engage in MDT was investigated, and eight semi-structured interviews with young adults with a gap year were conducted. My analysis identifies an individualistic social engagement, with the young adults weighing MDT in terms of their perceived opportunities for self-development, freedom of choice in their leisurely pursuits, and a sense of purpose and orientation towards the future. This study contextualises that young adults’ individualistic social engagement appears to be a – potentially international – sign of the times, and points out blind spots in and opportunities for Dutch policy regarding MDT.