Birte Nienaber

The Special Collection will focus on examples (theoretical, empirical or methodological) of research with and for people in vulnerable situations, by putting them in the centre of active research. People in vulnerable situations are perceiving and/or experiencing multi-layered, embedded situational, structural or individual vulnerabilities. They are often hard to reach and need specific, innovative and sensitive research approaches by recognizing them as experts of their own challenges and topics to do justice to their vulnerable situations. These might foster empowerment, transformative practices, and emancipatory perspectives for people in vulnerable situations. This guest editor’s introduction will give an overview of themes that are taken from the articles of the Special Collection.

Skill shortages have become obvious in many European countries during the last few years, when specific sectors required more skilled personnel. In this article, we analyse the ongoing discussion regarding whether skill shortages can be addressed by hiring third-country nationals from abroad or reskilling or upskilling job seekers inside the country. The analysis is based on EMN studies, official documents, and other publicly available sources and focusses on Luxembourg as a case study. It describes the challenges faced by Luxembourg as a small but economically viable country and which pathways are used to attract skilled workers.

The objective of this article is to examine the potential empowering impact of digital storytelling (DST) as a participatory, art-based research method, particularly with young adults with migration backgrounds. Drawing on a DST workshop conducted in Luxembourg as part of a European project on migrant integration, the study explores how creative, participant-led digital storytelling can foster engagement in knowledge production and contribute to feelings of empowerment. Rather than viewing empowerment as a fixed outcome, the research highlights its processual and relational nature—emerging through reflection, narrative construction, and shared vulnerability. The analysis is based on digital stories created by three participants, as well as interviews conducted immediately after the workshop and one year later. These data reveal how participants navigated self-representation, negotiated visibility and privacy, and developed a deeper understanding of their lived experiences through the process of creating their own digital story.

This article explores the specificities and nuances of employing LEGO® Serious Play® (LSP) in scientific research on migration, contrasting its application in academic contexts with its more common use in business settings. While LSP has gained recognition for its effectiveness in fostering creativity and communication in corporate environments, its adaptation to the complexities of migration research introduces unique considerations. The article delves into the challenges and opportunities of utilizing LSP as a research methodology, emphasizing its potential to unveil diverse migrant narratives, facilitate cross-cultural understanding, and contribute to innovative research methodologies. Empirical examples from the H2020 MIMY research project provide a critical examination of distinctive characteristics and benefits of employing LSP in migration research, shedding light on its adaptability and utility beyond traditional business applications. Este artículo explora las especificidades y matices del empleo de LEGO® Serious Play® (LSP) en la investigación científica sobre migración, contrastando su aplicación en contextos académicos con su uso más común en entornos empresariales. Si bien el LSP ha ganado reconocimiento por su eficacia a la hora de fomentar la creatividad y la comunicación en entornos empresariales, su adaptación a las complejidades de la investigación sobre migración introduce consideraciones únicas. El artículo profundiza en los retos y oportunidades de utilizar la LSP como metodología de investigación, haciendo hincapié en su potencial para desvelar diversas narrativas de los migrantes, facilitar el entendimiento intercultural y contribuir a metodologías de investigación innovadoras. Los ejemplos empíricos del proyecto de investigación MIMY de H2020 proporcionan un examen crítico de las características distintivas y los beneficios de emplear la LSP en la investigación sobre migración, arrojando luz sobre su adaptabilidad y utilidad más allá de las aplicaciones comerciales tradicionales. Cet article explore les spécificités et les nuances de l'utilisation de LEGO® Serious Play® (LSP) dans la recherche scientifique sur la migration, en contrastant son application dans les contextes académiques avec son utilisation plus courante dans les milieux d'affaires. Alors que le LSP est reconnu pour son efficacité à stimuler la créativité et la communication dans les entreprises, son adaptation aux complexités de la recherche sur les migrations introduit des considérations uniques. Cet article se penche sur les défis et les opportunités liés à l'utilisation des LSP en tant que méthodologie de recherche, en mettant l'accent sur son potentiel à dévoiler les divers récits des migrants, à faciliter la compréhension interculturelle et à contribuer à des méthodologies de recherche novatrices. Des exemples empiriques tirés du projet de recherche H2020 MIMY fournissent un examen critique des caractéristiques distinctives et des avantages de l'utilisation des LSP dans la recherche sur les migrations, mettant en lumière son adaptabilité et son utilité au-delà des applications commerciales traditionnelles.

Although in recent years plenty of work was published on LEGO^® Serious Play^®, there are only a manageable number of publications about its applicability in a research context. Undoubtedly, LEGO^® Serious Play^® can be a methodological enrichment particularly for participatory research with people in vulnerable conditions. However, its utilization in research should always be well reflected and adapted to the specific research context. Based on experiences gained in the H2020 project “MIMY – EMpowerment through liquid integration of Migrant Youth in vulnerable conditions”, the following article depicts the potentials and limitations of LEGO^® Serious Play^® and critically assesses its value for research purposes.

The idea for this Special Issue emerged from the Editors’ collaboration on the framework of the European project MIMY: EMpowerment through liquid Integration of Migrant Youth in vulnerable conditions

In recent years, various low-threshold and often creative methods and tools have been developed, considering the specific requirements of vulnerable persons to explore their identities, experiences, knowledge, opinions and needs. The idea of LEGO^® Serious Play^® is based on play pedagogy. Playing allows to distance oneself from everyday life by sliding into a world of imaginations, ideas and utopias while concurrently keeping the ties to reality (Heimlich, 2015). LEGO^® Serious Play^® uses metaphors to enable participants to express playfully their thoughts and ideas. As the building process with Lego bricks is physical and haptic, LEGO^® Serious Play^® is a low-threshold method to work with vulnerable groups (Cavaliero, 2017). The following article will concentrate on the use of LEGO^® Serious Play^® as creative exploration method and its possibilities and limitations when used to empower young migrants in vulnerable conditions in the Germany and Luxembourg in the H2020 research project MIMY.