Being, Becoming and Belonging in Constructing Children’s Lived Citizenship with Contact Persons and Contact Families

Abstract

The article discusses children’s citizenship by linking the dimensions of being, becoming and belonging to the concept of lived citizenship in the context of contact person and contact family interventions. Drawing on empirical research from Finland and Sweden, the article elaborates on how to identify if, and if so, how, children’s lived citizenship is constructed in contact person and contact family interventions and to what extent these constructions leave room for children’s perspectives. The results of the study indicate that contact person and contact family interventions contribute to the construction of children’s citizenship in various ways that include the perspectives on children and childhood of being, becoming and belonging. However, children’s active participation often seems to be governed by adults. Thus, giving greater attention to children’s intergenerational connections, i.e., adults’ roles in forming children’s citizenship, is needed.