Mapping

Once a young person lets you in, it is tempting to list everything that goes wrong: school, money, police contact, home. That list may be accurate, but Streetwise does not start there. In step 2 you map talents and dreams first. They are the starting point for change.

Why it works

Many young people in our target group have heard for years what they are bad at. A problem-only view confirms that identity. Strength-based models, such as the Good Lives Model, show that people change when they see a better life that is within reach, not only when risks are removed. Self-Determination Theory adds that motivation grows when young people feel competent, connected and in control. Mapping strengths feeds all three.

This is not naive. You still map risks. But you build on what is there.

What you map

• Talents: what are they good at, also outside school? Sport, music, fixing things, leading a group.

• Dreams: where do they see themselves in a few years? Take every answer seriously.

• Network: who do they trust, who supports them, who pulls them the wrong way?

• Protective factors: a coach, a job, a sibling, a routine. These protect against risk.

• Risk signals: safety, school drop-out, debts, substance use. Discuss these with your programme manager.

How you do it

Mapping rarely works as an interview. Most of it happens during activities: in the garden, after training, on the way back from a day trip. Watch how young people behave in the group: who takes the lead, who helps, who gives up quickly?

Use open questions: “What are you good at that others don’t know about?” or “If everything went well, where are you in three years?”

Record what you see briefly and factually. This becomes the basis for the approach in step 3 and the personal development plan in step 4.

A personal timeline helps. In an ongoing life-history study (2026–2027), criminologist Abdessamad Bouabid and M&K ask young people to place key events, relationships and turning points on a timeline. Use it to see what pulled a young person in, and what helped them step back.

Watch out

Turning it into an intake. A long list of questions feels like a test. Spread it out over weeks.

Laughing off big dreams. “I want to be a professional footballer” says something about drive and identity. Ask what it would take before you look at alternatives.

From practice

In our group in Kanaleneiland-Zuid, talents often show outside conversations: in the community garden near our office or during football. A young person who says little in a talk may turn out to be the one who organises the others.

Try this week

Pick one young person. Write down three talents and one dream without looking at your notes. If you cannot, that is your next conversation.

Key message

See the young person before you see the problem. What you map now fuels every next step.