DC GUNNARED
www.gunnared.goteborg.se
Gunnared is one of the most international districts in Göteborg. This is nurtured through an initiative to teach pupils in their mother tongue, as well as projects that build on diversity. Other initiatives include individual care plans for care of the elderly and a major expansion of pre-school services to tackle the long waiting lists.
| GUNNARED | ||
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| The first figure is for the district and the second for Göteborg in total during 2002, unless otherwise stated. | ||
| No. of inhabitants | 21,019 | (474,877) |
| Percentage of children 0–15 | 23.8 | (17.3) |
| Percentage of pensioners over 65 | 7.9 | (14.7) |
| Average income, KSEK (over 16) 2000 | 123.3 | (174.6) |
| Percentage of job applicants 18–64 | 6.8 | (4.1) |
| Percentage of people with higher education (20–64) 2001 | 17.7 | (38.9) |
| Percentage of gainfully employed (20–64) 2000 | 53.6 | (69.5) |
| Percentage on social security benefits | 33.1 | (9.5) |
| Social security benefits paid, SEK per inhabitant* | 6,879 | (2,128) |
| * Excl. introduction remuneration. | ||
There are negative trends that must be broken in order to the solve the problems of the district permanently. This is especially true of the social structure and the excessively high concentration of newly arrived refugees in north-east Göteborg. The refugees are naturally welcome and will be looked after in the best possible way, but the burden ought to be more fairly shared between the districts of Göteborg.
Despite the social problems, the services provided by the district administration are developing in the right direction. Pre-schools are expanding, the international dimension of our work is getting stronger, social services are developing new methods for dealing with the specific problems of the district, and crime prevention work is successful.
The pre-schools in Gunnared are growing. The maximum charge and changes to waiting list regulations have increased demand for pre-school places. The aim is to eliminate the waiting list by increasing capacity, and the number of places available has increased by 30 percent in recent years. Previously closed pre-schools have been reopened and new departments added. More places in independently run pre-schools have also been provided. In December, the new Kummindalen pre-school, which focuses on music and rhythm, was opened in Lövgärdet. Despite this considerable expansion there is still a waiting list for pre-schools in Gunnared.
Providing support for the children of immigrants in their own mother tongue is important in helping them to learn Swedish and do well in school. Teaching in the mother tongue helps children to develop their language skills in Swedish too. This is demonstrated by research, and provides the foundation for the extensive language development work that has been taking place in Gårdsten for the past couple of years under the Metropolitan Areas Initiative. Active multilingualism is encouraged among children with mother tongues other than Swedish, and methods are being developed in pre-schools and schools to ensure that children are able to meet education targets.
The International School in Gårdsten was opened during the year. The school provides teaching in several different languages. Pupils receive some of their teaching in their own mother tongue, and the school aims to teach the knowledge that is needed in a globalized world.
If a child who is placed in a foster home is assigned a dedicated social worker to represent his or her interests it improves the quality of foster home care. This has been shown by a new approach to working with fostered children that has been developed by Gunnared together with the board of health and welfare, under the project “Children’s Needs First” (BBiC). Another effect of this project is that it reduces costs for placing children in institutional care.
Gunnared has a special task to invest in activities for older young people in Angered. The youth culture initiative KulturATOM is now in its second year, and offers activities such as tae kwon do, dance, theatre, magazine production, IT, song and music. A number of big performances were held during the year and a CD of music by the children is being compiled.
Work is being carried out by care of the elderly services to improve the quality of support given to elderly people. Individual care plans are being introduced that are based on the individual’s needs, personality and values. The recipients of care should feel that they are getting the support they need, and regular reassessment is therefore important.
The Oliven drop-in centre in Gårdsten was opened in August 2002 as a meeting place for elderly immigrants and relatives who care for them. The staff speak several languages and provide mother-tongue language support if residents have difficulty understanding information given in Swedish when dealing with the authorities.
In the City of Göteborg’s quality surveys, Lövgärdet home for the elderly has received the City’s highest score for staff satisfaction for two years in a row. Involvement, delegation of responsibility, encouragement and individual work schedules are the main reasons why employees are happy with their jobs. One consequence of the good atmosphere is that the home for the elderly has a low staff turnover and finds it easy to recruit staff.
Crime prevention work in the district has been successful. Cooperation between different partners, such as housing companies, the police force, social services, employers’ associations and primary care services is yielding results. One unique aspect is the collaboration between property owners in the district. Vehicle crime has fallen during the year and attention is now being turned to value issues. The goal is to clearly and precisely define the values that are important in the district.
Gunnared is one of Göteborg’s most international districts. This is not just because almost half of its inhabitants were born outside Sweden, but also a result of the deliberate policy of internationalization that is implemented by the district committee. A number of development projects with international links are being conducted within the various district services, often in the form of EU projects. During the year the district committee adopted an international strategy, which among other things stresses the importance of building on the diversity that is represented among the residents, and that the diversity of the district’s own organization is good for the residents of the district.
The Blå Stället arts centre has initiated a major EU project in the form of a touring exhibition of art combining work from six different nations. This is one step in the process of exploring new forms for presenting public events. Meeting Place – North European Contemporary Art provided a unique opportunity to see the work of young artists from Sweden, Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.