Erikshjälpen expands even more at Challan: 'Not a project - ten years'
Until now Framtidsverkstaden has had an office in a little yellow house in the middle of Charlottesborg, but there is hardly any froom there for the trio who are responsible for the work there, leaders Anna Thorén and Maria Ejsing, and labour market co-ordinator Marie Nilsson, to sit down.
At present they go round everywhere from the church's soup lunches to the youth centre Slottet to meet as many people as they cwn to find out what is needed.
– We really want to speak to the people who live here,, we want to do this together, says Maria Ejsing.
In orher places in Sweden Erikshjälpen Framtidsverkstad provides help with homework, music, football and discussion groups, but they want to find out what exactly Charlottesborg would like.
– It must give something back to the people who are involved as well, They're the ones who live here and know the area. We're completely new here, says Anna Thorén.
She and Maria Ejsing have worked with social work for children and young people before, Marie Nilsson with treatment. Above all they would like to speak to people living in the area to hear what they think is missing. They have already heard suggestions for an open nursery school and a girls' group.
They have close contact with others who are active at Charlottesborg, such as police, school, child welfare centre and the municipality.
– We don't want to compete, we want to complement what is already there. We don't want to do what is there already, says Maria Ejsing.
One of the reasons that Erikshjälpen is opening its sixth Framtidsverkstad specifically at Charlottesborg, after giving the matter a lot of thought, is that they have a well-established second-hand shop on the opposite side of Långebrogatan.
– We always want to start up in places where we have a shop close to a socio-economically challenged area. We also look at what needs there are, and we see what kind of reception we get from the municipality, says Håkan Giselsson, head of Erikshjälpen's unit for Framtidsverkstad in Sweden.
