“A Space to Speak, A Space to Become”: Reflections on Presenting the PIA Youth Study at EUSPR 2025
By Layan Amouri
There are presentations that showcase results, and then there are presentations that remind you why you work in prevention science at all. For me, sharing the qualitative findings from the PIA Youth Program at EUSPR 2025 belonged firmly to the second category. Over the course of the conference, the PIA project team had more than six unique contributions to the conference covering results for youth and parent program, highlighting implementation lessons and program outcomes through different through presentations and a workshop. For me, this qualitative presentation was special as it offered something our field still too rarely centers: the inner experiences of newly arrived young people, in their own words.
It is easy in prevention science to speak of “risk,” “adjustment,” “integration,” or “social-emotional development”. It is however harder is to ask young people what it feels like to sit in a room with who they might see as strangers, being in a new country, adjusting to a new language and to making sense of who you are becoming. Harder still is to allow their reflections to reshape our assumptions and our interventions. Presenting this study was a chance to do exactly that.
Why This Study Was Necessary
The PIA Youth Program is a dialogue-based, six session intervention designed to support recently arrived adolescents in Sweden. It takes place in schools or community settings, in groups of 4–6 youths, led by trained facilitators who guide discussions on language, cultural differences, belonging, handling challenges and setting future goals. The importance of it stems first from the developmental perspective, as adolescence is already a period of identity formation, social navigation and emotional growth. Newly arrived youth navigate these processes while also managing migration-related uncertainty, linguistic barriers, and cultural adjustment. Yet many interventions for this group focus narrowly on academic achievement or clinical symptoms, while few address the everyday experiences that shape belonging and wellbeing. This study set out to fill that gap. We conducted 19 semi-structured interviews with some adolescents who participated in the program and were aged 13–16, in Swedish or Arabic depending on their preference, across two cities in Sweden. The interviews took place in schools, community libraries, group rooms, or online, depending on youth’s preferences and making sure they were spaces where the youth felt comfortable speaking. We interviewed the youth that had completed the program recently so their memories of the discussions, the leaders, the dynamics and feelings would be vivid and authentic.
What We Found: A Coherent Story of Safety, Belonging, and Growth
Our thematic analysis resulted in two main themes: “A program one can relate to” and “Learning and growing together”. Each theme contained several layers but were deeply interconnected. Together, they form a cohesive narrative about what makes prevention meaningful for newly arrived youth.
- A Program One Can Relate To:
One of the clearest findings and something I emphasized during the presentation is that adolescents experienced the PIA sessions as something personally relatable and emotionally safe, and this mattered far more than any single activity or topic. The key to this relatability was the facilitators. Youth described facilitators as warm, fun, relaxed, and “more like a friend”, not like teachers or authority figures, but more like older siblings or approachable role models. One participant captured it simply:
“It felt normal, just like home with my family… I could talk and someone was listening.”
For many, these sessions were described as the first space in Sweden where they felt they didn’t need to perform. They didn’t feel judged for language mistakes and didn’t feel like outsiders. Instead, they felt guided by someone who understood their realities, especially because the facilitators themselves had migrant backgrounds and were close in age. Another participant reflected:
“She was from the same country as me… that made me speak in Arabic and feel relaxed.”
This was not described as a superficial detail, but as mechanism by several participants, where cultural responsiveness, linguistic flexibility and closeness create a sense of safety. Many connected this comfort to the facilitators’ closeness in age or shared migration backgrounds, which made it easier to ask questions, make mistakes, or speak in Swedish without fear of embarrassment. A sense of safety was also shaped by group dynamic and composition. They were described to have strengthened this further. Youth were often grouped with peers they already knew based on their own wishes, which contributed to lowering social pressure. Many did also form new friendships through the sessions. So, we could see that the structure and content, together with appreciated group dynamics and closeness to leader shaped a collective environment, the “we” of it, which strengthened their willingness to open up. Here, prevention becomes social, forming a sense of belonging in the group.
The program’s structure supported this sense of relevance. Sessions followed a rhythm that the youth described as safe and predictable. The content mattered too. Texts that mirrored their own experiences, some about being misunderstood, navigating cultural differences and facing uncertainty which opened the door to deeper conversations. Youth said this made it easier to talk about what they had felt themselves:
“The texts were about things we had actually experienced… that makes it easier to talk about them.”
Facilitators’ ability to switch between Swedish and mother tongue helped keep everyone included, reinforcing confidence and promoting participation even for those with limited Swedish. This blend including meaningful content, supportive structure, flexible language use, made the program relatable in ways that feel rare in school contexts. This is an essential insight for prevention intervention design, as it was clear that the youth could engage easily when they recognized themselves in the material discussed and without that element, the in-depth reflection would be missing.
- Learning and Growing Together:
If Theme 1 was about the conditions, Theme 2 captured what happened inside these conditions and development and skills gained through the program as emotional, social, linguistic, behavioral and cognitive skills.
Youth didn’t describe learning in academic terms. They described learning as becoming more confident, more expressive and more aware of the world around them. One participant described it as follows:
“I’ve started to think differently… when we were sitting and talking.”
Personal & emotional development
Many described learning to regulate emotions, listen more intentionally, or pause before reacting. Some discovered that their peers had different struggles than they assumed, deepening their ability to take others’ perspectives, which is a core protective factor in adolescent development. They youth also described becoming more reflective, less reactive and more socially courageous. One participant explained that after the program they could handle difficult social moments more easily, saying:
“If I get into an embarrassing situation… I know how to handle it now.”
Another described becoming less afraid to speak and daring to speak even if their Swedish wasn’t “that good”. Several youths said the program helped them feel less alone. For some, it was the first time their feelings were validated by peers who understood what it meant to be new in Sweden. These are core developmental skills: self-awareness, perspective-taking, empathy, courage. What was described was markers of emotional regulation, autonomy and social confidence, which are all major contributors to resilience.
Communication and Language Growth
Language development emerged as a clear benefit. Youth describe learning new vocabulary though the sessions, especially because of the flexible support provided by the leader and being able to translate and shift the discussion between their mother tong and Swedish when needed. They did also learn how to use their language in relation to what youth describe as in how to speak, listen, structure thoughts and interpret others. As one reflected on the outcome of that:
“I always hesitated when the teacher said we would have group work… but now it’s much better.”
These improvements matter profoundly in school contexts. They shape academic engagement, peer relationships, and future opportunities. Here, youth emphasized the value of learning with each other, not just from the facilitator. Hearing others’ reflections often helped them understand their own. Stories became mirrors. Conversations became collective meaning-making. These reinforced bonds created in the group as trust, recognition, belonging, which in turn strengthened engagement.
Behavioral Adjustment and Agency
A few participants reflected explicitly on behavioral change, as previously telling principal to “shut up” or being aggressive in conversations, revealing a developmental turning point: they now recognized the social impact of behavior and were making intentional adjustments. Others described a stronger sense of agency and needing to focus on what they want to do instead of caring for what the others think of them. This aligns with the self-determination processes highlighted in prevention theory where empowerment becomes a mechanism of change.
Relevance for newly arrived youth
The program resonated deeply because it addressed their real challenges: how to speak in class, how to understand social cues, how to navigate school, how to deal with embarrassment or uncertainty, where to go for help. The sessions not only strengthened language use but offered practical strategies for daily life in Sweden. This combination of emotional support, peer validation, and linguistic practice, made the program especially meaningful for newly arrived youth. One participant reflected that what once felt intimidating, like group work at school, now felt manageable. That shift, from fear to capacity, illustrates what happens when prevention aligns with lived experience.
Why These Findings Matter for Prevention Science
Presenting these results at the 2025 EUSPR conference felt particularly meaningful because the implications extend far beyond this one program. Across interviews, slides, and thematic results, several prevention-science principles emerged clearly:
- Belonging is a protective mechanism, not a bonus
The safety described by youth, as feeling understood, relaxed, “like home”, is not soft or secondary. It is the precondition for learning, reflection and adjustment.
- Facilitators are relational agents, not neutral deliverers
A facilitator’s cultural sensitivity, linguistic flexibility, warmth, and age proximity were some components that had the greatest influence on the acquired skills and development.
- Prevention is relational and collective
Youth grew through dialogue, shared stories, and peer validation, not isolated instruction.
- Programs that mirror youths’ real lives are more effective
When programs use relevant stories, familiar culturally grounded stories and realistic examples, youth feel invited into the learning process, proving to be important engagement tools to facilitate discussion and learning. Their reflections point directly to mechanisms of change (safety, identity exploration, communication) and to barriers that need structural solutions.
A Personal Reflection
Having the study presented, I felt proud of it as is see this study capturing the essence of prevention science at its most human. It forced us to look beyond outcomes and into experiences, into the moments when a migrant youth dares to speak, recognizes themselves in a story, or feels less alone. Newly arrived youth navigate a profound psychological transition, as they translate themselves daily across languages, cultures, expectations and identities. If prevention science is to support them meaningfully, it must listen to them not as data points but as narrators of their own adjustment. We cannot rely solely on outcome measures or theoretical models. We must listen to the stories that reveal what truly matters. This study, and sharing it at EUSPR, reminded me that the true impact of preventive interventions lies not in the sessions themselves, but in the spaces they create. These are spaces of belonging, reflection, language, confidence and courage where young people feel understood and safe enough to grow.
As one youth said, perhaps summarizing the entire program better than any of us could:
“It [the PIA program] helps you understand how to behave… and it makes it easier when you first come to Sweden.”
From these insights, we could see that sometimes, prevention begins simply with a room, a facilitator who listens, and a group of who start slowly to feel seen, recognized and appreciated.
Please visit our website to follow the progress of the PIA Project here: https://www.piaprojektet.se/en-gb
About the Author
Layan Amouri is a PhD candidate at Lund University and a professional social worker whose work focuses on migration, belonging and preventive psychosocial practice. Her research centres on the experiences of newly arrived and immigrant youth, particularly how participation, safety and relationships shape their sense of belonging and wellbeing.
Before starting her PhD, she worked at Örebro University on the PIA Project and within the GLOMISCO research group. She is also the Early-Career Lead Board Member of the European Society for Prevention Research (EUSPR), where she supports emerging researchers and promotes strengths-based, inclusive approaches in prevention science.
OpenEdition suggests that you cite this post as follows:
EUSPR Early Careers Forum (February 26, 2026). “A Space to Speak, A Space to Become”: Reflections on Presenting the PIA Youth Study at EUSPR 2025. Preventing disease and ill health. Retrieved May 19, 2026 from https://doi.org/10.58079/15roj

