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MedVind in Østerbyen
Despite massive efforts by the social child welfare and youth services over several years, social mobility among children and young people in Østerbyen, a district in Esbjerg, Denmark's fifth largest municipality, had not been achieved.
Like other social housing areas, Østerbyen has faced major challenges over the years, including a higher proportion of parents on public assistance, a higher proportion of children and young people with low grades in primary school and fewer young people than elsewhere in the city going on to further education after compulsory schooling.
'Despite the fact that that the municipality has used all the resources and support services available, we have not succeeded in improving the situation. Something had to be done and had to be done radically differently, but we did not know what'. Ulla Visbech, Head of Culture, Esbjerg Municipality and chair of the steering committee that runs the MedVind in Østerbyen project.
Documented challenges facing children and young people in the area
• 41% of children in primary school feel lonely
• About 45% do not do any sports/exercise compared to 23% in the rest of Esbjerg municipality
• Only 64.5% of young people start upper secondary education 15 months after leaving secondary school. The average in Esbjerg is 89.2%. 13% of young people of secondary school age have a job in their spare time, compared to just over 40% at other schools in Esbjerg
• Average grade of 5.4 on the Danish 7-point grading scale in both Danish and Maths (highest score is 12)
• 13.3% have 02 or below (failure) in Danish and Maths (for Esbjerg the average is 6.7%)
• 28% of parents are on public assistance compared to 16% nationally
The Lauritzen Foundation focuses on ensuring that more children and young people living in poverty (social, educational and cultural) become better equipped to be inclusive and contributory members of Danish society in the future. The Lauritzen Foundation has a historical connection to Esbjerg, and it was therefore natural to look towards Esbjerg when the Lauritzen Foundation wanted to establish a longer-term partnership focused on tackling the inequalities of opportunity that occur when young people grow up in a life of poverty, particularly in relation to opportunities for further education and employment.
Duration of the initiative
2017-2029
Partners
The Lauritzen Foundation and Esbjerg Municipality are the main partners. The following external partners are also part of the steering group: Esbjerg Volunteer Centre, Business Esbjerg, Boligforeningen Ungdomsbo, Sydvestjyske Museer. A further 50 or so partners from local companies, public institutions and voluntary/social organisations take part in diverse activities and collaborations in the MedVind in Østerbyen alliance.
Objective
That all children and young people in Østerbyen, find their way through education and into employment.
Access
Those involved in MedVind in Østerbyen work together to solve complex issues concerning the social mobility of children and young people using the 'arena' concept. Young people move in several arenas. For example, they go to school, have leisure interests and are also part of a family. Therefore, there is a need to see the young person from all sides in order to best solve a problem. MedVind in Østerbyen tries to ensure that several agencies work together to bring about changes in the child's entire life situation.
Examples of actions
• Launching of an evidence-based holistic project, 'We in Østerbyen learn together' (VLS), in which several day-care services and schools collaborate on the early language stimulation of children to ensure a good transition to primary school for a greater number of childen.
Getting started
Inspired by collective impact, Lauritzen Foundation was interested in mobilising partners across sectors in a longterm and mutually binding collaboration. On this basis, the Foundationand Esbjerg Municipality established a clarification process in 2017, which over a six-month period was partly to provide a valid basis for an analysis based on data related to socio-economics and well-being, and partly to investigate whether the public, civil society and municipal agencies could see themselves participating in a multi-faceted collaboration to improve conditions for the area's children and young people and mobilise existing resources.
• 'Morning coffee at Præstegårdsskole', an inter-agency initiative involving the Job Centre, Præstegårdsskolen, MedVind in Østerbyen and the Food Bank. The initiative supports children's well-being and learning by ensuring that they get breakfast. It is also an employment push aimed at people on social benefits.
