Chapter 12: Diffractive Lenses Catching Stories: The Meaning of Belonging Through the Voice of Adolescents

In this chapter, we want to take you on a journey. We attempt an empirical wandering in which we travel along the dreams of seven adolescents attending a secondary school in Ghent, a city in Flanders (Belgium).

Our story begins with a lesson we organized in this class, a sixth-grade vocational training.¹ A class of seven pupils was brought together at school: Rayann, Sam, Sara, Gabrielle, Katarina, Sophie, and Iliana. Their teacher, Emily, joined in. The authors were interested in the meaning of “belonging” according to the pupils. What does this concept mean to them? It became clear that simply asking the question “What does belonging mean to you?” was not helpful for them. They had to make the meaning concrete and lively by showing where it was present in their life stories. The class of seven shared what they consider central in their lives with each other and with the first author. They talked about what they like to do, about who is important in their lives, about what makes their hearts beat faster. They communicated moments they felt excluded and moments they felt included. Sometimes this thinking accompanied strong emotions. Drawing on the portrait they had sketched, they tried to share their stories. After this lesson, their teacher Emily asked them whether they wanted to move on in picturing their future dreams building on what we accomplished there. They needed some time to think; sharing personal things was hard. One of the girls said: “I cannot tell you about some things, it is too close to my heart.” However, in the same movement they considered it a fascinating project to finish their secondary school. Their teacher stimulated them and emphasized the great opportunity to work on their own project. Although Emily will be moving behind the scenes a lot in what follows, her part in the creation of these dreams is essential.