Socially Excluded Young Adult Israeli Women’s Social Activism: A New Approach to Promoting Well-being

The present study explored the developmental trajectories and increased well-being of socially excluded young Israeli adult women participating in civic engagement peer groups. Twenty-one women participated in a qualitative longitudinal study design comprising 50 in-depth semistructured interviews at four assessment times. The interoperative phenomenological analysis approach revealed three main themes demonstrating a shift from survival to thriving. The first theme, “group connectedness,” describes participants’ positive feelings from participating in the group. The second theme, “exploring and practicing civic engagement,” covers the gains in women’s civic engagement abilities and definitions. The third theme, “From flaws to sparks,” describes women’s changes in mindset and their growing ability for reflection and making plans. The findings are discussed through the lens of the social justice paradigm to suggest a developmental model which sees developmental well-being as a human right.