Öckerö Youth centre is located in the Öckerö Municipality in Gothenburg’s northern archipelago. We conduct open house and weekend activities in the evenings based on young people’s active involvement and responsibility. Because our work is based on non-formal and informal learning, we give young people the chance to develop their personal and social development, but it also promotes the development to become grown adult citizens. We work with supporting young people’s ideas - big and small. There may be events / activities that happen once or so, it may be recurring group activities.
Examples of events that young people planned and carried out with the help of us was a trip to a waterpark for 35 young people to another Swedish city. Through the recreation center, young people also conduct group activities. We also support young people in realizing bigger, long-term dreams …
We also have a political mission to be a forum for dialogue between young people and decision makers. Therefor we conduct the following activities;
• Politician lunches (politicians eating lunch at school and talking with students about politics) In the years 2016-2017: there were 4 lunches of which 2 were in restaurant and 2 in school environment.
• Politician info with a following question time for young people.
• Democracy forum with municipal and regional politicians 2016-2017. Democracy forum is a method that promotes dialogue between decision makers and young people in the municipality. The method is a platform where young people can formulate their opinions and raise questions directly to decision makers. Politicians may, in turn, try their thoughts and ideas against an important target group and listen to how young people think about the municipality and its areas of activity. The democracy forum lasts for two hours, when 50 high school students from year 8 and 9 and municipal politicians can talk about five pre-defined themes. Topics discussed were for example: housing, communication, leisure, integration and the environment.
• LUPP 2017 = Local monitoring of youth policy. Local surveys for year 8 high school student during fall 2017.
Öckerö youth centre;
http://ockero.se/kulturturismochfritid/ungikommunen/fritidsgard.4.67d4fcf613888e0c509f4e.html
Öckerö youth centre on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/ockero.fritidsgard/?fref=ts
Instagram: ockerofritidsgard
Example of activities at Öckerö Youth centre;
Dining family / Språkvän
The dinner family / Language friend, is a collaboration between Öckerö youth centre and Öckerö sailing senior high school. We invite “unaccompanied youth” (refugee children) and senior high school students to socialize, eat food at a cheap price. Here is the opportunity to practice the Swedish language and to meet young people of the same age.
LGBT+ hang out
On the initiative of the LGBT Committee at Öckerö High School, young people have, together with Öckerö youth centre, established a LGBT + activity that has open house every other Monday since 2016. We also have a youth leader linked to the group participating in the meetings.
Youth money
Here, young people can apply for money for financial support of the management of different projects / groups / activities. For young people by young people. There is a decision-making group with 8 young people aged 13-19 who are representatives of the high school, senior high school, associations and the youth center who decides which activities are granted financial support or not. These are supported and assisted by a youth leader and the youth manager in Öckerö Municipality.
One Night to Remember = EKAM
Since 1995, the youth center organizes a drug and alcohol-free exam party for the ninth graders that finish high school. Over the years, we almost have 100 percent attendance by the pupils. Here the youth centre staff work with students and some school staff in the planning and implementation of the party. Students can choose to participate in the planning group under the subject “student’s choice” and then they are looking for sponsorships and plan large parts of the party. Certain parts are kept secret and are entirely planned by the free time leaders, such as which locality the party will be in. This is to create an exciting evening for everyone in the closing classes. In the film clip you can see the students coming in caravan and taking off with a boat to the party venue.
Öckerö Skatepark
The skate park was ready in the summer of 2016 after many years of waiting. It all began with a citizenship proposal from some young people and they have since then been involved in meeting politicians, architects, etc. Today you can borrow skate equipment for free at Öckerö Library and the leisure yard has offered a free skating school for girls and that since 2016 the recreation center has employed two young people aged 16-18 during three weeks in the summer holidays. They will work in the skate park with free lending of skate equipment and other summer equipment. They will also welcome visitors and create activities for children and young people.
Öckerö skate park Facebook page, here.
View a video about the skate park here.