This thesis is an impact evaluation based on the social project HotSpot Erhverv in Bispehaven, a disadvantaged area in the Municipality of Aarhus. An impact evaluation is an evaluation type within realstic evaluation. The overall purpose of the project is to create security in the local area and provide young people with a better understanding of the labour market and motivate them to finish school. In this area, 49.3% of adults are unemployd causing a large group of young people to not get the necessary experience and knowledge about the labour market from home. HotSpot Erhverv seeks to solve these challenges through a CSR network for local businesses and local police. Through this network the local area's young people aged 11-20 are given the opportunity to relate to the labour market and thereby gain important knowledge through a variety of complementary project activities.The thesis describes how the project works and evaluates whether this practice is consistent with the employees' perceptions of the project. In addition, it is evaluated to which extent the success of such social projects relies on definable mechanisms. To estimate this, several employees from the project, businesses from the CSR network and young participants from four selected activities were qualitatively interviewed. These interviews formed the foundation for the development of four program theories reflecting how the project works in practice, in which some possible causal relationships between a given mechanism and efficacy were selected. These are compared to and evaluated on a significant number of evaluation reports of similar interventions in disadvantaged neighbourhoods.The thesis concludes that there is a partial match between practice and the assumptions the employees had about the connections in the effort. In addition, it is demonstrated that the inclusion of recognition, relationship formation and successful experiences in everyday practical work increases the likelihood of success. It also demonstrates that a greater level of matching expectations, documentation and evaluation of employees increases the potential for success. Additionally, employees of the project are encouraged to emphasise to all new participants in the CSR network that all participants including police, youth and local businesses will experience a positive and workable relationship formation.
The result of this thesis is presented as ten specific recommendations that are passed on to employees in HotSpot Erhverv. These are believed to be useful in the expansion of the project to another challenged area in Aarhus, Gellerup. In this way, the thesis informs employees and provides specific help. The recommendations may also be considered in similar efforts as some of them are argued to be of more general nature.