Researchers and policymakers often assume that associations such as football clubs, scout troops, role-playing groups, and choirs promote the integration of children of immigrants by bringing them together with other children from diverse backgrounds around shared interests. However, research shows that associations often attract resource-rich children, and there may be a tendency for them to join groups where most members share the same background as themselves. These segregation processes can cast doubt on the actual potential for integration.

Against this background, this project, funded by a Sapere Aude: DFF-Starting Grant, will examine how participation in associations varies among children of immigrants from different social and ethnic backgrounds in Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany, England, and Denmark. We will also analyze how their participation affects their integration as indicated by their performance in the education system, their social networks, and their values.

The project will provide evidence-based insights into which children of immigrants participate in associations across various Western European countries and how this participation influences different aspects of their integration, including educational, social, and cultural dimensions. These insights are crucial for understanding the opportunities and limitations that associations and clubs offer in promoting the integration of immigrant children. This knowledge is essential, as discussions and policymaking in this area are often influenced by romanticized notions or anecdotal accounts of association life rather than solid evidence.

The project team includes three researchers from SocMap at Aalborg University: Hans-Peter Y. Qvist (Principal Investigator), Mia Stenbro Lorenzen (PhD Fellow), and Anders Bastrup Jørgensen (Postdoc). The team also includes Frank van Tubergen (NIDI and Utrecht University), Dingeman Wiertz (University College London), Irena Kogan (University of Mannheim), and Anders Holm (Rockwool Foundation Research Unit and Western University).