No young person should be excluded from society

The Norwegian Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers hosted a meeting of the Nordic Council of Ministers for Health and Social Affairs (MR-S) in Stavanger today. The main items on the agenda were socially disadvantaged young people and how multi-sectoral Nordic solutions can better integrate them into education, the labour market and society in general.   

“No young person should feel excluded from society in the Nordic Region. Official agencies, private companies and organisations are working on the issue every day. Doing it together at Nordic level means we inspire each other, learn all the time and make constant improvements. Today’s meeting is a prime example of the work that is going on, says the Norwegian Minister of Labour and Social Inclusion, Marte Mjøs Persen.

 

The purpose of the meeting and debate was to share knowledge about initiatives that will help refine the Nordic welfare model for the benefit of young people who are not in education, employment or training. Based on the project and report called Inclusion of young people in school, work and society, the ministers discussed issues such as the importance of relationship building, mentoring schemes, tailor-made individual initiatives and community-oriented methods.

Although vulnerable young people all have their own unique story about how they came to be socially disadvantaged, there are also common features, according to another study called Nordic co-operation on young people’s mental health. These include coming from families with little in the way of resources, mental health issues or being from a refugee background. Reiterating their backing for the vision of a socially sustainable Nordic Region, the ministers agreed on the importance of all young having an education, a job people and a sense of being part of society in general.