The People Project: A Program for the U.S. Embassy in Norway

The U.S. Embassy in Oslo sponsored the People Project program, administered by Meridian International Center and conducted from March 6 – 12, 2016. The exchange connected two leaders from the People Project of Norway with key U.S. institutions and individuals to learn best practice strategies to deal with troubled youth. Participants met with organizations, schools, and social entrepreneurs that work with drop-outs and at-risk youth. These organizations combine leadership training, employment preparedness, empowerment, and confidence building to deal with problems in their communities.

The People Project (PP) addresses the needs of at-risk youth and drop-outs with an intensive, six-week training program; direct contact with thousands of employers; and a growing array of follow-up activities. PP seeks to instill a heightened sense of self-worth and a deeper understanding of the consequences of dropping out for its participants. Since opening in 2009, PP has accepted over 2,000 Norwegian youth into the program.

Specific goals and objectives of this program included:

• Learning about U.S.-based initiatives, approaches, lessons, challenges, and cooperative ventures in working with at-risk youth
• Examining social entrepreneurship in the United States and how social entrepreneurs create innovative, business-minded solutions to issues in their communities
• Exploring the role of government agencies, nonprofits, and social entrepreneurial ventures in creating opportunities for employment and job training among underserved populations
• Exploring challenges in working with at-risk youth, including radicalization, gang affiliation, violence, and drug use, and how engagement initiatives work to alleviate these issues

Learn more about Lene and Eddi's experiences in the U.S. in this Meridian blog post .

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