A thousand votes

A Thousand Votes for Northeast Skåne would create unexpected meetings between individuals, organizations, clubs, companies, and congregations from Northeast Skåne's different social, ethnic, demographic, and geographic groups. The aim was to support and create multifaceted, innovative activities and meetings for social inclusion in Northeast Skåne.

The background of the project is that in northeastern Skåne there is a great need for initiatives that promote education, knowledge and inclusion to promote self-esteem and development towards a future knowledge-intensive and global labor market. In large parts of the area in question, the level of education is low and unemployment is high. In recent years, the area has received a large number of new arrivals at the same time as xenophobia has increased dramatically.

The project focused on addressing current and central topics such as creativity, innovation, sustainable development, gender equality, equal treatment, environment and accessibility in meetings and workshops with young people from different social and ethnic groups. The project's goal was for 1000 voices from all corners and groups in northeast Skåne to meet and get to know each other and each other's cultural background and baggage. The primary target group was young people aged 13-25. The project's secondary target groups were northeast Skåne's citizens, politicians, officials, entrepreneurs, organizations, communities, clubs, etc. The emphasis was on creating meetings between individuals and groups that rarely or never meet due to, for example, age or ethnicity.

In collaboration with Din Bror, Reclaim Challan, Skånes Horn av Afrika, Wanås Konst, Länsförsäkringar Göinge-Kristianstad and Open Skåne, workshops, some small group discussions and large mass workshops and a full day at the Cultural Quarter were carried out. The results and ideas were presented at a public final manifestation in February 2018.

The project owner estimates that a total of 1089 people have participated in activities. The actors who ran the project had not previously collaborated. New contacts have been made and more actors have joined. Experiences gained have resulted in new knowledge in the area that Tusen Tankar has used in its continued work with social innovation and integration. A model to facilitate meetings and broaden the network has been compiled.

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The project addresses a pronounced problem area in a new and innovative way together with several stakeholders and with a geographical spread in the area. By creating new meeting places/activities for, among others, young people, it provides an opportunity for knowledge transfer and social inclusion that can have a ripple effect on social development even in the long term. The project also creates an exciting connection to society in general and contributes to profiling the area from a youth perspective. The project has a clear rural-urban perspective.