– Very good, Live! Jon Berge Nordstrøm ensures a great somersault for the five-year-old at Strømsø kindergarten in Drammen. Soon he will have a certificate as a child and youth worker. – This really is the best job in the world! Life smiles on the 29-year-old, but it hasn’t always been that way. Growing up, Jon had a disturbance in his body, which he did not understand. The little boy was often both scared, angry and sad. – Already in the fourth grade it started to slip out. I had a lot of absenteeism, and didn’t see the point in being at school. Carrying anxiety and fear takes a lot of energy. He was about to become part of a grim statistic. As many as one in five do not complete secondary school. The teenager Jon had musical talent and enjoyed playing in a band. Photo: private After secondary school, he received an offer to try Unginvest, which is a different learning offer. – The plan was ready. I was only going to go there for a couple of weeks, and then tell them that this didn’t work for me either. But the two weeks turned into three. Jon stayed at Unginvest for four years. He is not alone. There are many with similar stories: Jan Iver Tronstad (18) – The dream is a house with a garage. He tinkers with an old car in the workshop at Unginvest. Two weeks after he started vg1, he quit. He felt left out. All the friends went to another school. – In November 2020, I came here for a tour. Two days later I started. Now I’m here every day. Isebell Rygg Lund (17) – I had stopped dreaming. She chose electrical engineering as a secondary school, but soon realized that it was wrong. She dropped out and was suddenly left with nothing to do. At Unginvest, everyone has their dreams, which they work to achieve. The first thing they do is create personal road maps, where the dreams are clear goals. Jon Berge Nordstrøm (29) Jon was afraid to take the bus, but no one knew. Between the bus stops the panic came. He felt trapped. He arrived at school completely exhausted. He struggled to look ahead and thought he would be sitting at home for the rest of his life. During his four years at Unginvest, he experienced several important turning points. – What worked for you at Unginvest? – I was asked when I was at my best. They wanted to know when I had last been proud and when I had done something that I felt was good. He talked about what he loves most of all, playing the guitar and doing stunts on a bicycle in the skate park. Jon felt mastery on the bike. Photo: Kjell-Anders Midtun Based on these stories, the teachers understood where he had his strengths. The training was then built around what he was good at. Slowly but surely, the boy with the negative emotions mastered life. He realized he was good enough. Every day, the students meet Jon’s words on the stairs at Unginvest in Drammen. Photo: Caroline Bækkelund Hauge / news – I don’t think I would be where I am today without my years at Unginvest. – Everyone can manage to complete secondary school Orda comes from Ingebjørg Mæland. She has been a burning soul for what are now five departments of Unginvest in Buskerud. Ingebjørg Mæland is the business manager of Unginvest AIB Photo: Caroline Bækkelund Hauge / news They have helped an estimated 5,000 young people complete further education in the last twenty years. She knows that everyone can do it. – We tailor the program to each student. The training must be flexible, so that it can be changed in line with the needs and development of the young people. Road map The road map for the student is a plan for how to reach your goals. Someone starts with the very elementary. Milestones On the way to the final goal, there are milestones. What are my strengths? Through their time at Unginvest, the students become aware of what they are good at. They use this to achieve their goals. The important community There are no teachers’ rooms here. Both teachers and students sit together in the canteen during breaks. It will be safer for the pupils. Many young people say that in the end it was the breaks that were the worst. Here they build each other up, instead of tearing each other down. Why has this been good? The school has a science centre, where colorful notes hang. Here, former students have written about what made them complete their education. The results from Unginvest have received international attention. Mæland has taken students to educational conferences all over the world. They also often receive visits and are contacted by people from all over the country, who work with further education. – They wonder why the offer is not available everywhere. There is a great need for this measure throughout the country. The Crown Prince couple have become involved in the work of Unginvest. Photo: Roald Marker / news The Crown Prince Couple have also allowed themselves to be impressed by the methods and the results, and have chosen to provide support through the Crown Prince Couple’s Fund. Research carried out by Unginvest itself shows that 8 out of 10 young people are either in education or work in the autumn after they have graduated. More people should get the chance Ingebjørg Mæland and county mayor in Viken, Roger Ryberg (Ap), have just signed a comprehensive document which they are now sending to Minister of Education Tonje Brenna. – Finally! High five! Business manager Ingebjørg Mæland and county mayor in Viken, Roger Ryberg (Ap) send the plans to the Government. Photo: Caroline Bækkelund Hauge / news They have been working on the plan for a long time, which is a detailed proposal to create 10 new departments across the country, along the lines of Buskerud. – We want the rest of the country to share in our knowledge of how to carry out such an educational course, says the county mayor. He is an educator himself, and is sure that this is the right way to go. – I have seen young people the happiest, even with a sad starting point. Here they get a new glow and a future. In the proposal to the Government, it is stated that the expenses for the national initiative must be shared equally between the county council and the state. Unginvest in Buskerud is already in the process of training professionals in seven other county municipalities. – Are you going to get the Minister of Knowledge with you on this? – Yes, I think so, absolutely. Jon Berge Nordstrøm loves his job at the nursery Photo: Caroline Bækkelund Hauge / news Jon is a favorite with the children at Strømsø nursery. Colleagues say he is made for the task. He is happy he was able to complete his secondary education. It laid the foundation for him now having a full-time job and a good life. – It’s silly that not everyone in this country can get the same chance that I got. Everyone can complete secondary school, but then I have to stop trying to squeeze a round into a square. Unginvest AIB Education is based on national curricula for secondary school. Age group 16-24 years No application deadline. Admission throughout the school year. Five departments in Buskerud: Drammen, Kongsberg, Modum, Ringerike and Gol. Two departments in Rogaland: Stavanger and Haugalandet In Trøndelag and Agder, a decision has been made to investigate establishment. In Nordland, a similar department was established in 2019. source: Unginvest AIB
ttn-69
– We have to stop trying to squeeze a round into a square
