The initial phase (months 1-24) focused on a systematic review of the historical literature on youth gangs [Objective 1]. The first milestone was the kick-off conference held in October 2018 in Barcelona, with the participation of the members of the project’s scientific committee. This was a starting point for theoretical and methodological discussions to determine the key research concepts and problems. This work continued with the preparation of a series of digital publications included in the TRANSGANG Working Papers collection: the Concept Paper defined the theoretical and methodological development resulting from the bibliographic research; the Legal Considerations defined the legal and ethical framework of mandatory compliance and application in each of the locations. Once the research team had been formed, local researchers produced the Background Papers about Southern Europe, North Africa and the Americas, in which the literature on youth groups is analysed. Conceptual analysis allowed us to establish the methodology for fieldwork and the subsequent analysis process: five clusters were determined, allowing a controlled comparison of the field data collected in the different locations.
In the central phase (months 25-48), the goal was to obtain significant field data in each of the base locations for meta-ethnographic comparison [Objectives 2-3]. We developed a model for the analysis of transnational youth gangs in the global era, defined in the Methodology Handbook. By using the same methods and techniques to collect qualitative data, it is ensured that the different cases can be treated as a single multi-sited ethnographic study. Just when fieldwork was starting in the twelve cities, the pandemic broke out, forcing us to reconsider the work plan and find solutions for researching street youth groups when the public space had disappeared. Making a virtue of necessity, we took advantage of the situation to schedule a periodic Training Seminar, in which the whole team participated and this was used to share the initial results of the project. We also focused on virtual ethnography and on special features (Gangpedia and Documentary Films).
The final phase of the project (months 49-66) was affected by the consequences of the pandemic and the six-month extension of the end of the project. It focused on analysis and dissemination activities, especially on the mediation experiences and the renewed policy model [Objectives 4 and 5]. We applied NVivo qualitative analysis software to analyse and interpret the data obtained at three levels: local analysis by each researcher, regional analysis by the three ethnographic coordinators, and transnational analysis by the Principal Investigator. During this period the four documentary films were finished and the rest of the Working Papers were published, in addition to several books and special issues. In May 2023, we organised the Final Conference and the activities associated with it: premiere of the documentaries, exhibition and dissemination activities. Lastly, we published two of the principal outcomes of the project: the TRANSGANG White Paper and the TRANSGANG Final Reports, collecting the three ethnographic findings on street youth groups and mediation in Southern Europe, North Africa and the Americas, and the four transversal reports on Social Networks, Media Representations, Documentary Films and Social Perceptions Survey.
