It’s not any Friday night anywhere in the World. In the small fritidsgårdslokalen at Rinkebyskolan crowding young people together in a lysrörsbeklätt rooms. In the middle is a keyboard and some speakers. When 17-year-old gun Elias Abbas, most recently known from the Eurovision song contest, enters the makeshift stage and starts talking into the microphone, he is by shouting. He says that he is nervous, he has performed for the 5,000 people in the past – but that this is his hemmatrakter. Tonight, he releases the song ”Discipline” with the artist Keya, which comes from the grannorten Husby.
Elias, Abbas has in several interviews talked about the fact that he wants to be a role model. Young people from Rinkeby to see him and think ”if he can so can I”.
and the 25-year-old Hamza Mohamed is also on-site at the youth center. They have just gone on their second to last pass that ungdomsvärdar. During the ten years, young people in the area worked with to create the security and trust of the peers, pick up what’s going on and talked with the needed support. Now ungdomsvärdsuppdraget be evaluated by the district and be down for an indefinite period of time.
It is cheerful and full of young people in the room before Elias Abbas prominent. Photo: Alexander Mahmoud
Each and every second that passes, Khalid and Hamza stretches out a hand to greet. They are bred in the area and familiar faces. It is one of huvudpoängerna with ungdomsvärdar, ” says Khalid. You listen to people who come from here. People whose siblings you played with, the parents who have trained even the football team, the people you met in the grocery store.
Ungdomsvärdarna has been hour by hour and often worked weekend evenings or when there has been a particular need. One day in January last year was one such time. Khalid Suleiman was at the gym when he got the call from his boss. A young man had been shot dead at a pizzeria in Rinkeby square.
” We both came there directly. Then it is not so much you can do, more than to reassure people and ask them to go away from the barricade.
at the same time, they had their own feelings to deal with. Khalid Suleiman says that he felt all who had been murdered in the area in recent years. There have been childhood friends, classmates and neighbors.
Both Khalid Suleiman and Hamza Mohamed was on the spot after the murder at the pizzeria for a little over a year ago, to reassure people who come there. Photo: Alexander Mahmoud
in the Rinkeby-Kista district administration. She says that ungdomsvärdsprojektet been stopped for an indefinite time has to do with the district’s budget in the field of prevention has been reduced and that the current political majority in the city of Stockholm decided to focus on the core business.
The ten ungdomsvärdarna cost the district approximately 2.5 million in the last year, according to Ulla Thorslund. She is in no doubt that their work has been important, but says that the basic idea with the hosts, among other things, that they would be around 18 years of age, working for just one year and that there would be a gender balance, a little lost.
– whether we should keep them or not, we need repeats, ” she says.
Ungdomsvärdarnas the top manager is Susanne Tengberg, who is head of the division of preventive work in the district administration. She also says that ungdomsvärdarna has done a good job, but she does not believe that there will be no negative consequences for the district when the project is closed down.
” I hope that we are not missing out on anything at all. We have other employees, such as youth leader, who has close contact with young people. We want to take advantage of the experience of those who worked as ungdomsvärdar and hope that they have been inspired to further educate themselves and perhaps become a future workforce with us in the management.
to bet on the ungdomsvärdar is put down is Elvir Kazinic, vice-president of the social democrats in the Rinkeby-Kista district committee. He says that he understands that the administration makes a priority based on the conditions they get from the city hall, but believes that in this case, make a bug.
” We have to work in the long term and create a belief in society. Last year increased the level of perceived security in the region and it was among other things thanks to the ungdomsvärdarna. They are an important link between young people and the rest of the society and an important force, they are attached to the area and makes a great benefit.
Benjamin Dousa (M) who is the chairman of the Rinkeby-Kista, the city of stockholm says that the choice was between betting on the field assistants, and ungdomsvärdar. More field assistants, who has college education, is something even the police in the area have been asking for and Dousa says that there is a need for more trained adults in the streets and squares.
– Gets the district less money so, you sometimes have to make uncomfortable and tough priorities, ” he says.
when the disaster has already occurred, they acted in the role of ungdomsvärdar. About two years ago, Khalid Suleiman and Hamza Mohamed out that it was planned riots in the area.
” We talked with people we thought were involved. There is not much to say more than ”belt you” and tell you how it will affect all, not least those who live in the area, ” says Hamza Mohamed.
Ungdomsvärdarna alerted to their manager who took the matter further, but a few days later broke the still riot. The police remained in large parts of the outskirts of the area, while Khalid, Hamza and their colleagues were where everything happened and tried to talk the young people to the right.
“We were the only ones not cast stones,” says Khalid.
and has worked in Rinkeby in nine years. He was also on the spot during the riots two years ago and was in contact with the ungdomsvärdarna.
” They were right in the firing line and gave continuous information to us. In this way, we could understand more and perhaps change our strategy. But it also puts other follow-up questions – if the police make a decision not to be in the area so you can question how appropriate it is that young is there.
the Police and ungdomsvärdarna has been seen every Friday night on the so-called utsättningsmötena together with, among others, the road warriors and the stewards.
Where they have occasionally been able to exchange information and Hanif Azizi says that ungdomsvärdarna have been able to ask questions to the police.
– Many times they have questions and concerns that they raise with us and which we can answer. What happened at yesterday’s intervention, why did you do so, there are rumours about this and so on. But it can also be the other way around. Ungdomsvärdarnas leaders have also been able to provide feedback to us.
the police have been able to get answers to their questions, ” says Azizi. According to him, there is a widespread tystnadskultur among young people in the local area, where no one wants to be seen as someone who gossips. He has also had a hard time to understand in more detail what ungdomsvärdarnas role has been.
” I have not quite understood what has been their task. If they have been in ten years, there should be more to say.
Khalid Suleiman agree to their mission sometimes been unclear and says that they have received very little training given on what situations they worked in.
” We have been the lowest in the hierarchy, and received very little instruction and poor feedback.
Also Ulla Thorslund is critical to how the follow-up around the ungdomsvärdarnas work seen out and say that it is one of the reasons why the project should be evaluated.
was Khalid Suleimans first job. Now plugs up his score at the adult education centre in order to be able to be a social worker. There are differences in how the young people look at ungdomsvärdar and field workers, ” he says.
– There is a stigma in contacting a field officer or medborgarvärd, it is much easier for young people to talk with us, ” he says.
most evenings Khalid Suleiman and Hamza Mohamed has worked as a ungdomsvärdar have been peaceful. Photo: Alexander Mahmoud
People start to leave the youth center after Elias Abbas prominent, the mood is hilarious. Rinkeby square stands empty apart from a lone police car which is run slowly back and forth. In the subway a dozen or so stewards. The situation has been different here the last six months, ” says Khalid Suleiman. No drug at the tube, no mess on the square.
“But it is just a way to keep it at a distance,” he says.
the Solution, he believes is the long-term work.
‘ve got to jump in and spoken to someone to the right when it is in fractions or given care to someone who has been damaged, as have the majority of the evenings they have been peaceful.
On the work with ungdomsvärdar not resume think Khalid Suleiman to fragmentation may increase, and that the young people in the area are losing role models, which can be life-changing.
” They see us and think that there is a possibility that exists, even if you grow up here.
