Marginalized young people and social inclusion policy in Northern Ireland

Policy makers in the UK and beyond have recently focused much attention on problems associated with social exclusion and the marginalization of significant numbers of people from mainstream society. The belief that 'prevention' is better than 'cure' has led, at least in the UK, to adoption of policies that try to 'catch' the future socially excluded early (i.e. when they are young). The main symptom - and the main cause - of social exclusion is widely accepted to be unemployment and other forms of joblessness. This article discusses how policy makers in Northern Ireland are trying to combat the social exclusion of young people and how they might strengthen their efforts in the light of a major new study of joblessness among young people in the region.