Dozens of adults, children and young people have gathered at Lerdal Fritidsklubb in Prinsdal in Oslo. Known as “The Barn”. The club is one of Norway’s oldest. Two years ago they turned 60. They have been visited by the crown prince and praised by politicians. In a district where every third child grows up in a family with a low income, and half live in tight quarters, places like “Låven” are invaluable. – For me and my friends, this place here means absolutely everything. I have grown up here, says Timur Taha Mohammed. Throughout childhood and adolescence, “The Barn” has been a safe place. Timur believes that more young people will end up in the wrong environments if the clubs in the district disappear. Photo: Karwan Noradin Ali / news Both for him, his older brother and their friends, “Låven” has been an important place. – This leisure club didn’t just give us an opportunity to do something in our spare time. It also saved many from being on the streets and doing something wrong. Now it can be over. The district of Søndre Nordstrand proposes in its budget for next year to close down the club. Timur believes that this could mean that more young people will end up in environments they should not be in. Maria-Isadora Holm agrees. Maria-Isadora is one of many who use the club at Prinsdal. She believes it is a crisis to remove such an important offer in a busy district. Photo: Karwan Noradin Ali / news – When there are so many people who come here, who may be struggling at home or at school, I think that there will be an increase in crime in the district if it disappears, she believes. 144 million in cuts The reason why the club may be closed down is that the district will cut 144 million next year. And in the following years it gets worse: then they have to cut more than 200 million each year. – It is so bad that you can hardly express it, says leader of the district committee Ola Borge Mannsåker (Ap). Cuts in Søndre Nordstrand This is what the district must cut/save in the next few years: 2025: 144 million 2026: 203 million 2027: 227 million 2028: 225 million There are several reasons why they have to cut so heavily now: Framework cuts from the city council. That is to say, they directly cut the money given to each district. Districts are not allowed to create a budget that runs into a deficit. This means that if they get less money, they also have to cut the offer. It happens that districts run into deficits nonetheless. Then they have to borrow money from the municipality. This money must be repaid next year, no later than two years after that. The prices of everything have increased, which means that the districts spend more money on things than they did for. Oslo has had a large increase in people receiving social assistance. The districts have to pay out, and then they have to cut back on something else if they don’t have enough money. The districts have received some compensation for increased social assistance, but not enough. Søndre Nordstrand, for example, paid out almost 60 million more than budgeted in social assistance this year. They will receive 20 million in compensation from the municipality next year. The municipality has changed the way they distribute money to the districts. The districts with the most elderly people benefit from the change, while those with the most young people lose out. A combination of “debt” to the municipality, concrete cuts, changes in the distribution of money between districts, a sharp increase in social assistance and increased prices is the reason why Søndre Nordstrand is now struggling financially. – It’s clearly a powerful diet, and it’s sad, says head of education Mona Bratli. She says that the district also thinks it is sad to cut offers for children and young people. – But with the framework we have now, we simply have no other option. Eddy, Theodor and Nils playing “foosball”. “Låven” has offers for both children and young people in the district. Photo: Karwan Noradin Ali / news – Hurts deep in the heart – It hurts deep in the heart. There were many tears when the news came. That’s what Renate Wessel Eckhardt, who is the general manager of “Låven”, says. Renate Wessel Eckhardt is both saddened and shocked that the leisure club may disappear. Behind her are young people who had turned up in protest against cuts. Photo: Hallgeir Braastad / news – We have young people here who have grandparents who used “Låven” in their time, says Eckhardt. The grandchildren of Hans Olav Felix are examples of what the manager tells about. He himself hung out at “Låven” in the 60s. Something both his children and grandchildren have also done in later years. – The barn is, after all, part of Prinsdal and Hauketo. It is a safe place to go. Putting it down is not possible. Hans Olav himself went to “Låven” in the 60s. Since then, both the children and grandchildren have hung out at the leisure club. Photo: Karwan Noradin Ali / news Brutal youth cuts The budget has not been adopted. It happens in December. But tough cuts have been proposed: “The Barn” is not just being closed down. But the neighborhood club Bush, founded by housing associations in Holmlia, loses all support from the district. – The leisure club must then close down completely, says chairman Elisabeth Østrem. And Søndre Å’s farm, which is also part of the leisure offer for children and young people, will suffer severe cuts and lose two man-years. It particularly affects girls, according to Rødt’s Trude Koksvik Nilsen. – Because we know that at many of the other leisure clubs there are mostly boys. Whereas at Søndre Ås there are many girls. So this is serious. Trude Koksvik Nilsen is a politician in Oslo Red. Photo: Rolf Petter Olaisen / news And that’s not all: the district also zeroes out all voluntary funds. And several voluntary local actors lose support. At the same time, money for the youth council and grants for sports teams are disappearing. The local leisure card scheme is scrapped. The scheme will ensure that young people can have leisure activities covered regardless of finances. The district will also cancel the low-threshold Rapid Mental Health Care offer. It is not only for youth but is also used by them. In addition, they will reduce staffing at the health center and in the school health service. – Then he must help us Financial council Hallstein Bjercke (V) had a clear message for the districts when he presented the city council’s budget this autumn: protect children and young people. The districts got almost 200 million less in the budget, a cut of 0.8 per cent. They should be able to do that without closing leisure clubs, Bjercke believed. – If they can’t do it, it’s political laziness, Bjercke told news after the proposal was put forward. The finance council in Oslo Hallstein Bjercke from the Liberal Party believes it is political laziness if the districts fail to protect children and young people. Photo: Hallgeir Braastad / news BU leader Ola Borge Mannsåker (Ap) in Søndre Nordstrand responds with a call back: – Then he must help us find places where we can prioritize children and young people in the situation we are in. Because the cuts from the city council come on top of an explosion in, among other things, social assistance and increased prices. Mannsåker says it is very unfortunate to cut the services for children and young people in a vulnerable district. – It is an area with very many young people who live in families with poor means and who live very cramped. Children and young people in Søndre Nordstrand Søndre Nordstrand is a “young” borough: Over 27 per cent of the population in the borough is aged 0-19. It is much higher than in the rest of Oslo, and in Norway in general. The district also has fewer elderly people than average. More than half of the population are immigrants or have parents who came to Norway as immigrants. Figures from, among others, FHI show that: Almost half (44%) of children and young people live in cramped quarters 28 per cent of the district’s children grow up in poor families, families with persistently low incomes. What does that mean? The definition is that the average income in the family over three years is below 60 per cent of the “median”. The median is the point exactly in the middle between the highest and lowest incomes in Norway. Slightly fewer complete upper secondary school than in Oslo in general. There are also fewer people with higher education in the district. Less than half of children and young people are involved in leisure organisations. Young people say they enjoy school and life. But they feel a little more unsafe than the average for Oslo. – A betrayal Østrem in the youth club Bush in Holmlia believes the cuts tear down what has been built up since the racist murder of Benjamin Hermansen in 2001. It brought the district together, increased cohesion and mobilized the neighbourhood. The Holmlia identity was strengthened. Despite bad advice. Because “everyone is talking shit about us”. Despite the fact that several of the people who live there start at the bottom of life’s downhill. – At Holmlia, we have had a community. We have had an inner pride in coming from Holmlia, living in Holmlia, which we have with us, she says, and adds: – Everything we have built up for this, we have built up together. That it is not worth investing in feels like a huge betrayal. Education manager Mona Bratli in the district says they are in an extremely difficult financial situation. – We have tried to protect children and young people. But with the framework we have been given, it was unfortunately not possible. She emphasizes that they will still have offers for children and young people, even after the cuts. Dramatic for several districts And it’s not just Søndre Nordstrand that gets tough cuts. 5 of Oslo’s 15 districts have come up with their budget proposals for 2025. All must cut. Several districts over NOK 100 million – just next year. These are some of the cuts that may come: A psychologist position for young people will disappear from the health center in Stovner, and a doctor at the health center for young people in Grünerløkka. Cuts in nursery places and reduced opening hours in several districts. Fewer employees. Stovner will close down a kindergarten. Cuts in the school health service, including at Søndre Nordstrand, where 2 man-years will disappear Cuts in the BPA service and special educational help Severe cuts in child welfare budgets, especially the purchase of places in institutions Cuts in staff or offers at senior centers Cuts in environmental workers or others who work with young people Downsizing and cuts in substance abuse care So far, no other district apart from Søndre Nordstrand has proposed closing leisure clubs. But Gamle Oslo is proposing cuts, both in opening hours, positions and equipment. At the same time, there are also some who want to strengthen the offer. For example Grorud. There, it is proposed to extend the opening hours, a separate homework help offer, and free food on the after-school offer for the clubs. Published 23.11.2024, at 09.21 Updated 23.11.2024, at 10.22
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Leisure clubs may be closed down in Søndre Nordstrand – Stor-Oslo
