Schiedam council hopes to improve the lot of young people of ethnic minority origins in Dutch society by working with them to improve their prospects. How to reduce juvenile nuisance and high school dropout rates in certain groups of young people of ethnic minority origins.

Schiedam council offers social education assistance to young people and assists them in the process of becoming integrated into Dutch society in the areas of education, work and leisure activities. The town has elected for an approach tailored to a number of specific target groups and based on the notion that prevention is better than cure. Especially Moroccan and Turkish youths participate but new groups, such as Antilleans and Somalians, are also included in the project. Participants are offered an activities programme which includes help with homework, sports and recreational activities, as well as a social skills course. They also receive individual help and advice from a pool of voluntary mentors and the project staff. The project also has two further target groups: the participants' parents and schools. This completes the triangle of child-carer-school so that there is less likelihood that participants will drop out.

Factors in success
• Creating broad support and trust in the ethnic minority community concerned.
• Attention to and working with respect for parents.
• Network of collaborating bodies.
• Rewarding the young people for their own initiative.
• Tailoring the scheme both to the specific target group and to individual young people.

• Dropout rates fell to almost zero;
• progress was noted in the young people's academic performance and in their behaviour, with an improvement in their social skills.

• Mentoring scheme with volunteer mentors: approx. EUR 2,500 per young person per annum, of which the town provides approx. EUR 1,500 per young person per annum; the remainder comes from funds.

Organisation Stichting Welzijn Schiedam (Welfare asociation Schiedam)
Schiedam
The Netherlands
http://www.welzijnschiedam.nl
Mahmoud Chavoushi, tel. 0031102465628

01/01/2004

case

Urban Policy > Social inclusion & integration > Integration of social groups

Young people