URBACT POSTCARDS! During summer, cities from the four corners of Europe will share with us their summer activities. the city of Göteborg in Sweden…

" Göteborg at the service of young people!

During the summer, Göteborg takes care of its youth. Susan Runsten, the Urban Development Officer of Goteborg is also the coordinator of Goteborg's participation in the URBACT Project "My Generation". She talks to us about her city, the most northerly of our four summertime postcards destinations. Welcome to Göteborg! This charming port situated on the country's west coast was built around the sea, and you only have to look at recent building work to understand that the city is fascinated by water. With 493,000 inhabitants, it is the country's second largest city. In the summer, when it's hot like today, you can make the most of the boats running through the town’s centre, linking the city and the island of Hisingen. You don't even need to have your own boat - you can get there by ferry! Because one of our projects involves offering young people the means to progress, we do all we can to organise a wide variety of activities throughout the summer. Take for example the Liseberg amusement park, the largest in Sweden (over 3 million visitors each year!). For 11 to 18-year-olds, there is the Gothia Cup, which has taken place this year between the 13th and the 19th of July. I'm not exaggerating - it really is the most famous youth football tournament in the world! We also do a lot to help disadvantaged youths. Each year, our city council offers summer job opportunities, and to avoid discrimination jobs are assigned randomly, by draw. We leave it to chance! Public schools also organise "summer schools" for schoolchildren in difficulty, and the different districts (21 districts in Göteborg) propose "summer activities" for young children unable to go on holiday. And all of this needs to be coordinated. This is in fact one of the reasons why we have become involved in URBACT II. Many people are working to develop youth potential, both in the private and public sectors, and good coordination is important if we are to ensure that everyone is working together. URBACT II, via the local support groups and local action plans, focuses on the impact at a local level, and this is what attracts and interests us! This is why we have integrated the My Generation Thematic Network which focuses on "youth employment and human capital". Following the two, rather informal, meetings that took place in Göteborg, we are preparing for a very important event this summer: the city council will convene on 20 August, and we are working to make sure that My Generation is considered seriously by our politicians. Political support is obviously essential if such a programme is to work. This is why we are all working particularly hard this summer! The European Union? We have benefited from numerous European initiatives, but if I had to say which project has impressed me the most, I would have to choose one of those set up within the scope of URBAN II. In a north-eastern district of the city (with a strong immigrant presence and high levels of unemployment), we have been able, with the European funds, to equip the school with brand new computers and software. Educators and teachers take it in turns to work this structure, which is open to pupils with reading difficulties and dyslexia and to those who can’t speak Swedish. And do you know what? Because the youngsters love computers, they’re not at all ashamed to go there... and they’re making progress! Without URBAN II, we would never have been able to launch such a programme! Read more:

• 'My Generation' Thematic Network
• Göteborg website
• First Postcard : Rhodes in Greece

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