In late adolescence, young people are faced with the challenge of finding a professional orientation and coping with the transition from school to vocational training, University, and work (Hurrelmann & Quenzel, 2016). In Germany, most scientific papers and surveys focus on the effects of formal education when analyzing school-to-work transitions. Less is known about the effects of non-formal education such as organized leisure activities. However, international findings emphasize the positive outcomes of organized leisure activities on academic success and skill development (Metsäpelto & Pulkkinen, 2014) although the effects differ by personal traits, type of activity (Larson et al. 2006), engagement, breath, duration, and intensity (Bohnert et al., 2010). Hence, the presentation focuses on organized leisure activities and its effects on educational pathways of young adults by analyzing secondary data of the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP). We will investigate via optimal matching techniques if identified educational pathways differ between individuals who are taking part in organized activities and those who are not. It is distinguished between music activities, sport activities, extracurricular activities at school, and cultural activities (dancing, theatre). To capture the complex nature of participation in non-formal activities the conceptual model of participation in organized activities by Bohnert et al. (2010) is used. Although limited information in the data, three out of four dimensions can be measured partly. Information on “duration” is given for music and sports activities while the frequency of participation in cultural activities is given at three points of measurement. Additionally, the dimension “intensity” is measured for sports activities (taking part in competition vs not taking part in competitions). Hence, we will be able to create the dimension “breadth” by using the information on participation in the above-mentioned activities as well as duration and frequency. We will present the results and discuss the potentials and limitations of the SOEP for analyzing organized leisure activities and its effects in Germany.

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