Street Education

Denmark FINAL REPORT: Street education Partner 4 By Niels Vestergaard 1 2 TABLE OF CONTENT FINAL DANISH REPORT Overall Conclusions 3 Conclusion: STREET EDUCATION 6 Final conclusion 9 Implementing ELEF at SOSU Østjylland. 12 Final reports of 9 street educational events. 19 Implementing ELEF at SOSU Østjylland. 10 Identification of target groups in Denmark 12 FINAL REPORT STREET EDUCATION: 16 Street Education Event 1: Vulnerable immigrant groups 17 Street Education Event 2: Festival 20 Street Education Event 3: Facebook 25 Street Education Event 4: Walking the streets 28 Street Education Event 5: Theatre 33 Street Education Event 6: Election 46 Street Education Event 7: Theatre 2 57 Street Education Event 8: Fellow feeling 63 Street Education Event 9: Pupils 67 3 Overall Conclusion Our learning and experience gain from our participation in the ELEF project. The summary of our participation in the ELEF project is, that it has been one of the best-timed projects we have been involved in as well as one of the most experiential projects we have been involved in. The rationale behind our involvement in the ELEF project was partly that the participation of young people at a 2013 election for municipality and regional authorities and later in 2015 for parliament dropped to a quite surprising low level. that we had recognized and were determined that we had to work much more systematically for better inclusion of a fairly large number of our students. Not only inclusion into a social fellowship with others, but also inclusion into life as such. It was our recognition, we already knew that we recruit and have many students and especially young students and students with other ethnic and cultural background who felt a little outside most of the time. Who felt it was a bit difficult to see, feel and get a grip of society. Who felt a bit strange and put off from the society in which they live. We knew that too many young people travelling around the Danish youth education system were often the last station before they were included in the statistics showing that about 8% of young people aged 25 to 29 years old have neither education nor employment. Up to 25 years, young people are legal obliged to be either in education or having a job, due to the youth policy. We were aware that many of the especially young men who did not succeed with us and by not graduating successfully from us, were not given access to the Danish labor market and the social opportunities and connection with the Danish communities it provides the basis of life, a contract of employment and a monthly salary slip provides the opportunity to build and strengthen their self-esteem and identity We later saw some of them appear in other communities who have the community as declared opponent. Either directly in the center of these fellowships, or as loosely affiliated. However, ELEF has helped to give us a good start to meet and respond the change that was suddenly adopted by the Danish parliament in the overall objectives of Danish vocational education. The Danish vocational education programmes are generally governed by 6 main 4 objectives, which apply to more than 100 vocational education programmes in Denmark. In the published new legislative text, the main purpose was suddenly 3: 1) contribute to the development of the educator's interest in and ability to actively participate in a democratic society and contribute to their personal development. The Law on Vocational Training LBK No. 271 or 24/03/2017 and again further clarified in the legislative amendment LBK No. 282 of 18/04/2018 Historically, it was quite interesting and a surprise, because when Denmark founded and started our social and health educational programmes in 1990, the educations was presented on the basis of the following diagrams. Vocational Social and Health Education Professional Personal competences and skills competences and skills Learning and Social and civic developing competences competences It was also written in the law, that the balance of the educational effort should be 50:50 between developing the professional competences and developing the personal competences, defined as Competences for learning and development & social and civic competences. During reforms the following year, particularly the reform of 2001 and after, there came more and more focus on the professional skills on behalf of the personal competences. After 2010, the personal part was more or less eliminated as an independent focus area for education and development. If something was stated in the law or the executive order, it was part of the aims for the different subjects. Therefore, of course, it is interesting that a text like overall aim 3 in the newly reform, suddenly appears as one of the 6 overall objectives for what a vocational education shall bring a student at a vocational education in Denmark in 2017. No matter whether you are becoming an electrician, a bricklayer, a social and health worker or something completely different out of the more than 100 options for a vocational profession. 5 Conclusion: STREET EDUCATION We believe that the project has confirmed to a certain state, that Street Education in its pure form, has a limited effect, perspective and future in Denmark. Partly because as we describe in the related evaluation for Street Event no 3, people get annoyed and a bit aggressive when being contacted on the street and on squares in Denmark. Mostly due to the Youth Guaranty, young people up to 25 years are forced by law either to be in education, having a job or implementing a plan leading to formal education or a job. We have no doubt that fun and meaningful street educational events can be initiated at festivals and similar events in Denmark. Even though we totally failed with our attempt to complete Street Educational Event no 2 at the North Side Festival. The challenge is, in relation to ELEF's overall target group and purpose of reaching disadvantaged youth and citizen groups. These groups rarely occur and are present at these events. We don`t intend to take all the credit due to the initiatives we took during the ELEF project period, but it was of course of interest that the following report was published and announced after the election for municipality and regional authorities in November 2017. We bring it as inspiration that efforts targeting young people regarding democracy and active citizenship pays of. Published May 2018 New young voters vote much more than before The election participation among 18-year- old first-time voters has risen, it excites the election researcher behind the voter report. 6 The article Young people’s municipal election participation rose to new heights last year, when 75.1 percent of young people aged 18 made their lives first cross at the election. (election for municipality and regional authorities) It is four percentage points more than in 2013 and 17 percentage points more than in municipal and regional elections in 2009. This is what Berlingske newspaper writes on the basis of a report on the voters at the municipal and regional elections in November last year. Electoral researcher and professor of political science Kasper Møller Hansen is behind the report. When he saw the percentages among the youngest voters, he could hardly believe his own eyes. "When I saw these figures, I have to admit I thought ‘It can`t be true, there must be something wrong’", says Kasper Møller Hansen to Berlingske newspaper. The election participation among young voters between 19 and 29 years went up from a participation in elections of less than 50 percent in 2009 to up to 60 percent in 2017. In 2009, we shouted alarm. At that time the participation among the youngest was dropping. It looked like we were losing a whole generation democratically. "Being able to raise the election participation among the youngest voters by 17 percent in just two elections, I think really is very remarkable and impressive”, he says. Following the elections in 2009, various initiatives were initiated to raise the election participation, including campaigns. The rise is happy, says the chairman of the Danish Youth Council, Kasper Sand Kjær. "It testifies of a youth generation that will both take responsibility and want to take part The normalin the votingsociety participationsfor which they arefor aparliament part and for in our Denmark democracy," is normally he says at to a Ritzau. level of 85% to 87%. But we- haveIn 2013 had a majora great national benefit effort from was the put ELEF in place project, to bring focusing the youngsters on developing to the polls. It did not matter in 2017. So it's extra impressive that the voting campaign has managed and sharpening new pedagogical methods, learning measures and testing these to rise, he says. methods and learning measures. Methods and learning initiatives where we put our ownBut youngsters he would like in tothe see stage that tothe go participation out and be of educatedyoung people in relation was even to higher. corresponding young groups and other citizen groups, and focus on the topics that were"There the isfocus still a of gap the between ELEF project.the 22 and 29-year-olds up to the general population. We should have lifted that, because there is also a democratic deficit of young people in There theis no municipal doubt that elections, particular he says. the Theater projects have been a revelation. Not just how to work with topics that have headings like Democracy and Loneliness, but especially what it means and does to our young people when they express themselves about these subjects, but especially how it was received by their peers when they showed their thoughts, reflections in the form of a theater productions.

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