"She's happy and positive after being at YouthWorks"
At Stígur YouthWorks and Tröð YouthWorks, operated by Reykjavík City, staff work to build young people's self-confidence and social skills. A new survey of guardians whose children participate in the workshops shows high satisfaction with the programs.
A safe space for teenagers
Stígur YouthWorks and Tröð YouthWorks provide a safe space for teens ages 13-16 to step outside their comfort zones and practice communicating with peers, strengthen their self-image, express themselves authentically, put themselves in others' shoes and learn to trust. Brúin is a YouthWorks program specifically designed for young people ages 16-18.
The survey was conducted last May and was sent by email to the guardians of the 25 young people who were participants in Stígur and Tröð at that time. Fifteen guardians responded to the survey, making the response rate 60%. All respondents agreed that participating in YouthWorks has affected the young people's social engagement. Nearly all said they had noticed positive changes in their child's behavior after they started participating in YouthWorks. All respondents said they would likely or very likely recommend YouthWorks to other parents.
Parents praise communication with staff
All guardians who had been in contact with YouthWorks staff reported very good or fairly good experiences. YouthWorks employs a group of people with very diverse backgrounds. The team includes recreation and social science specialists, a psychologist, a social worker, arts professionals and students in fields that address social isolation among young people. Katerina Inga Antonsdóttir, director of YouthWorks, has an undergraduate degree in psychology and is completing a master's degree in public health. She also has extensive experience working in youth centers.
Consent from teens is a prerequisite for participation
Counselors at Reykjavík City centers or at Reykjavík Child Protection Services are responsible for applying for YouthWorks participation on behalf of guardians and young people. An application is approved only if the young person consents to participate. Katerina says it sometimes helps for young people to visit first, meet staff and learn about the program: "It can seem off-putting for them to participate in a 'social intervention,' but when they come and see the environment, they get a better sense of what we're doing. Then they're often quick to become interested.“
Creating a safe space is the top priority
Katerina says one of YouthWorks' most important roles is creating a safe space where young people have many opportunities to engage with their peers and have room to make mistakes and learn from them. She adds: "They come to us from all kinds of backgrounds and with different experiences."
"Some are coming from severe isolation and school avoidance. Others are active in school but struggle to maintain social connections and friendships. Circumstances and needs vary, so we take an individualized approach, building groups around each teen's needs. The goal is to strengthen their self-image, self-confidence, social skills and belief in their own abilities so they can participate in other community activities on their own terms, such as youth center programs."
Playing games and artistic projects are popular
In YouthWorks, young people meet twice a week, one short evening and one long evening. The longer evening starts with the group going to the grocery store together and buying food. Then the group cooks a meal they've agreed on together. The evening's schedule is varied and planned by the teens themselves in collaboration with staff, reflecting their interests. Playing games and working on various artistic projects are popular. They often go outside the facility to do something fun together, like playing darts. "Sometimes we also bring in guests to teach them something. Recently, for example, we had illustrator Lóa Hjálmtýsdóttir run a comic workshop for them, which was a lot of fun," Katerina says.
Some examples of YouthWorks' impact according to parents:
"Social skills have improved.“
"Friendships with peers, looking forward to something. All positive effects, and as far as I know, my child and I (father) are very satisfied."
"She's happy and positive after being at YouthWorks"
"There are many things that affect my teenager, but the most impactful activity was probably the target shooting and archery."
Parents wanted to share this feedback, among other comments:
"I wish there was more help available for kids who have trouble with Icelandic."
"I can only praise the staff in every way possible.“
"We're satisfied with the program and feel that any issues that arose were handled well."
Feedback shapes program development
YouthWorks operates under Keðjan, where support programs for children and families in Reykjavík are organized and developed. The survey was conducted by the quality assessment team at Reykjavík City's welfare department. The Department of Welfare regularly surveys participants across all its programs to guide their development and improvement.