The project offers an examination of drug use among young marginalized citizens with a Greenlandic background living in Denmark, including the challenges they experience in relation to receiving assistance in the Danish welfare system.

Aim

The purpose of the project is to examine barriers and opportunities associated with helping young citizens with a Greenlandic background living in Denmark, aged 18-30. On this basis, the project will identify opportunities for improving conditions for the target group.

Background

It is well-documented that socially marginalized citizens with a Greenlandic background are overrepresented among socially marginalized people in Denmark. This includes the homeless, victims of violence as well as people in drug treatment and on social benefits. So far, interventions have primarily targeted the adult population. In recent years however, there has been a growing concern among service providers relating to the younger population. This revolves around an observed increase in the use of drugs such as heroin among the younger citizens. This indicates that a transition might be occurring among young people when compared with the older generation of socially marginalized people with a Greenlandic background, whose drug use primarily consists of alcohol and cannabis. In order to improve assistance to young people with a Greenlandic background living in Denmark, there is therefore a need for more knowledge about how they cope in and outside of formal support systems, their motivations for use of drugs and which factors hinder their access to appropriate assistance in the welfare system.

The project

The project consists of the following two parts:

1. Policy analysis. A mapping of national and local policies which will be analyzed with attention to their understandings of the target group and relevant interventions.
2. A short-term field study. This will involve qualitative interviews with 1) young socially marginalized people (18-30) with a Greenlandic background who reside in Denmark and 2) service providers who work with the target group. Interviews will focus on substance use, social networks, risk environments and barriers in relation to accessing and using relevant services.

The project runs from May 2023 to January 2024.

Cooperation

The project is carried out in collaboration with Reden Aarhus and Det Grønlandske Hus, Aarhus. It is further carried out in close dialogue with other relevant service providers.

Funding

The project is supported by Aase and Ejnar Danielsens Fond.