Aspirations mapping and communicative ecologies

This working paper contextualises a methodological approach for engaging young people in a self-reflective exercise on their life and career aspirations, by highlighting the role of communication and social networking in their development. This method is outlined in the Connect2Aspire toolkit strand ‘Aspirations mapping and communicative ecologies’, which has been designed based on a thorough mapping of available theoretical literature on the role of communication in aspirations development; interweaved with empirical research conducted in the Connect2Aspire study. This paper provides an overview of the theoretical framework underpinning the relationship between communication and aspirations in the first part; and in the second part follows the integration of these insights in the workshop-based format for aspirations mapping, with its three steps: Explore, Envision, Connect.