Adulthood, One Way Or Another: Asylum Seeking Youth in Finland — A Book of Poetry and Artwork

Authored by the UAM Voice Collective—consisting of researchers, youth poets, writers, designers, and visual artists—this book is an artistic outcome of a research project designed to better understand the transition to adulthood of those who sought asylum in Finland as minors without a parent or guardian. Currently, the numbers of forcibly displaced peoples are at an all-time high around the globe. At a time in their lives when relationships with family have been shown to be crucial to asylum-seeking youths’ views on the meaning of adulthood, as well as being a critical source of community support—young people in this project detail their experiences throughout this time. This book of poetry and artwork has been developed using a collective participatory approach and showcases a series of voice-centred pronoun poems developed by youth participants. These poems highlight the social, cultural, and political intersections that young asylum-seekers must navigate throughout their transition to adulthood when their families are absent.