Essential ingredients to help young people (NEETs) with
To be in the coaching position, not driving is an essential approach in order to support young people risking failure in school or training. That was one of the conclusions reached at the second SECiSo conference.
– The choose, get, keep model is essential for our work with young students risking early school leaving because of psychosocial problems, said Annika Bostedt from RSMH, Sweden, presenting the experience from work with Supported Education in Swedish schools.
Participants from Sweden, Hamburg and the Netherlands convened in Spring 2018 for the second conference with transnational ESF-project SECiSo. The venue in the Hamburg City centre hosted about 30 professionals from schools, authorities and NGOs.
The Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, is the second-largest city of Germany and one of the 16 states of Germany, with a population of roughly 1.8 million people.
Hamburg has a relatively low youth unemployment quote of 5.5 percent, but psychosocial problems have drastically increased in the last years. Problems identified are the transition from school to work such as the social and vocational Integration.
– With the conference we want to introduce you to the Supported Education/ Employment and best practices methods to help young people in the NEET situation and with psychosocial problems to get and stay in education and work, said the conference organizer and transnational project leader Susanne von Bonin, from GSM Training & Integration, Hamburg.
Stefan Dükomy, project leader and pedagogical company leader GSM, presented the experience from ESF-projects “Come In“ and “Catch-Up”, the latter dealing with psychological support and councelling to young people.
Among the guest speakers were also Emma Ståhl, Coach, Project KomBack, Vetlanda, Sweden and Lies Korevaar, Hanze University, the Netherlands.
Text & photo: Jacob Schulze