The time of young people in social difficulties: Use, management, and socio-educational actions

The time and way in which one lives should be addressed from a socio-educational point of view, an essential aspect for any young person in social difficulties to be able to achieve a full life, with legitimate aspirations and opportunities. The main objective of this research was to identify how young people in social difficulties use and manage their time, drawing on the words of the professionals who are responsible for their care, guardianship, guidance, and education. We also sought to identify the socio-educational intervention actions that are being carried out in different social resources to help young people to manage their time. For this purpose, a qualitative study was carried out using an open self-administered questionnaire to survey thirty professionals from the Community of Madrid, including social educators, teachers, social workers, and psychologists. The results indicate that, in the professionals' opinion, young people do not use their time adequately and, mostly, they have no control over it, mainly due to personal situations that act as conditioning factors. There are also some notable achievements in time management acquired by these young people. Finally, the professionals' testimonies suggest the use of different socio-educational intervention actions with young people to work on good habits and social values; protection, support, and guidance; as well as the proper management of leisure time. A line of future research opens up to study the effect of these actions on these young people's independence and social inclusion.