The main idea of the project is to promote and test a sense of belongingness and new means of identity work for the multicultural schools. The basic idea is to locate a new kind of socially orientated worker to the schools.

The project is part of EU Urban II Community Initiative Programme. The objective of the EU Urban II is to revive urban areas economically and socially as well as to enhance sustainable development. In Finland, the Government allotted Urban II Programme to the Greater Metropolitan Area, especially for developing its eastern parts, Helsinki-Vantaa.

The project takes place in two comprehensive schools in eastern Helsinki. The "newcomer" has bachelor degree in social services instead of the usual educational orientation that personnel at schools posses. She/he works intensively together with other school personnel (eg. teachers, a curator, nurses) in so called pupils' welfare support team. The focus in socially orientated work is to support actively pupils' wellbeing in everyday school life. Work belongs to the domain of preventive and constructive social work, which is due to fulfill the upbringing given by families and at schools.

The worker is socially orientated, and her/his task description settles down somewhere between the school teacher's and school curator's task descriptions. During the last 18 months the focus of the project has shifted to facilitate the school leavers to finish their studies. Added to this the project promotes well functioning relationships between the school and the surrounding enterprises. That is partly done in order to help pupils' transitional phase from school to working life.

Pupils and students at the schools and especially children from multicultural and immigrant families.

The project is funded from Urban II programme, total 293 244 €. Ability and possilibilities to organize work in schools and in multicultural teams, with teachers, counsellors, social workers and parents.

Helsinki Polytechnic, Faculty of Health Care and Social Services
Finland
http://www.stadia.fi/
Ms. Asta Rautiainen, tel. +358 9 310 600

01/01/2003

case

Urban Policy > Economy knowledge & employment > Urban economy

Employment