Exchanging ideas with Sweden

Reed in Partnership have been exchanging ideas and experience with partners in the City of Gothenburg. Following the invitation from Groundwork London, Lizzi Holman (Policy and Research Manager) joined the trip to Gothenburg in December. In a packed two days, the group were shown Project Upp!, an entrepreneurship programme for young unemployed people in the city centre, a shop selling goods made by people with health problems and met the team behind project Bazar - aiming to bring an ethnically diverse market into the cities centre. The visit was part of Groundwork's Host Boroughs Employment Offer project, which is working to increase environmentally and financially sustainable job opportunities all over the Olympic boroughs, using ideas and experience borrowed from their Swedish partners.

"I was struck by the way young people were involved in the design of the Project Upp! - from naming it to organising events and acting as ambassadors. This seemed to help encourage and motivate them. But there were challenges - due to state aid rules the shop which sold beautifully crafted goods made by people with health issues was not allowed to advertise - so were totally reliant on people finding it by accident."

The ideas and experience gained from the visit will help inform the ongoing development of Reed's programmes, including the new provision for young people not in education or employment, 'Right Futures' in London.

For more information on the ESF Innovation, Transnationality and Mainstreaming programme click here; for Project Upp! click here; and In Tryck - shop and textile workshop click here.