Overview

In November 1997 and July 1998, three representatives of the city of Goteborg attended a two-part workshop in the Netherlands on “Creating Better Cities with Children and Youth” that was organized by the MOST Programme of UNESCO, the Averroes European Training Centre, and experienced members of several Growing Up in Cities teams.

On returning to Sweden, Lisa Sundell, Maj-Britt Olsbo and Ing-Marie Larsson helped launch the project in three districts:

• Bergsjon, an area on the city’s perimeter close to forests and countryside, built up in the 1960s and 70s as part of the city’s intensive housing programme, where half the residents are of foreign descent
• Utby, in the district of Kortedala, which includes turn-of-the-century houses and high-rise flats, and proximity to both the countryside and the city center
• Lundby, which represents a cross-section of the city in terms of inhabitants, all types of buildings, and many opportunities for activities for young people

In all three districts, young people researched their area using project methods, followed by visits to each other’s places and exchanges of ideas.

These activities exemplify goals of Local Agenda 21 plans. According to Agenda 21, the programme of action agreed to by world governments at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in 1992, local authorities should strive to create participatory plans for sustainable development, and special efforts should be made to ensure that women and young people are involved in decision-making, planning and implementation.

Goteborg participants adopted a sister project in Mumbai, India: Yuva (Youth for Unity and Voluntary Action), a nongovernmental organization that works with street children and children in slum areas. Kavitha Krishnamoorthy visited from Yuva for a week, touring the three districts, hearing about what the young people in each area were doing, and describing her organization’s work.

In September 1999, young people prepared an exhibit of their work at the Municipal Museum under the title “Under Ytan” (“Under the Surface”).

During an afternoon program of events, about a hundred people gathered to see and hear what they had done and their ideas for local improvements. In conclusion, chairmen from the three districts discussed how the project would be carried forward.