The Social Compass Guiding the Movement of Young People in and Between Urban Spaces

The aim of this article is to introduce the concept of social compass, which was developed in the research project Youth in the cities during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020–2022. Ethnographic observations and interviews were conducted on young people’s leisure time activities in urban spaces together with detached youth work in the biggest cities in Finland (Helsinki, Espoo, Tampere, and Vantaa). Young people were co-researchers, and their experiences were also gathered through the theatre project GÄNG – guided city tour. In this article, we examine the movement and mobilities of young people in public, semi-public and private spaces in their leisure time. ‘Social compass’ will be used as a methodological tool to show how physical, digital and social elements are intertwined when young people navigate in urban spaces. The traditional compass is based on its ability to show the direction of magnetic north, which is used in geographical orienteering. In the case of young people hanging out, the situation is different. When they move in the city, their navigation is based not only on their knowledge of certain physical spaces but also on their knowledge of the movements of others. With the help of mobile technology and geographical position systems, young people have real-time information on their peers’ movements and can thus change their own plans smoothly. For them, mobilities are part of the process of how they engage with the world.