Fryshuset

Fryshuset is a Swedish non-profit youth organization that works to improve young people's life conditions by creating opportunities for them to find and develop their creativity, skills and motivation. The organization’s official vision is to enable young people to change the world through their passions. Fryshuset's work is based on the conviction that everybody can rise and move forward, if given the right support and stimulation. Hence it involves youth in a multitude of developing processes and provides them with tools, knowledge, education and empowerment to strengthen their ability to shape their own future and society. The organization also works to create a positive social climate in which young people's opinions and ideas are taken seriously.

Fryshuset, a youth center in Stockholm

Today Fryshuset runs a total of around 70 project, activities, educational programs and schools within four main areas;

• Role models and faith in the future (i.e. social programs)
• Youth culture
• Schools
• Work and Entrepreneurship

Fryshuset also cooperates with a multitude of foreign and international organizations (such as the United Nations, the European Commission, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights and Homeboy Industries) in order to strengthen influence, participation and social justice among young people around the world.

Fryshuset has venues in Hammarby Sjöstad, Skärholmen, Husby, Nybro, Torsås, Östra Göinge, Göteborg, Malmö och Borlänge.

History

Fryshuset was founded in 1984 by Anders Carlberg, a well-known Swedish advocate for social justice and reconciliation. He was on the board of the YMCA of Southern Stockholm and was commissioned to find a building where YMCA could gather all its youth activities. He found an old cold storage in the outskirts of the city. It was renovated and rebuilt into a basketball hall and into music studios for young musicians. It was called Fryshuset (the Swedish word for cold storage) and soon became a meeting place for a variety of youth groups.[1] Since then, the organization has grown steadily, today there are Fryshus branches operating in eight cities around Sweden.

Fryshuset has venues in Hammarby Sjöstad, Skärholmen, Husby, Nybro, Torsås, Östra Göinge, Göteborg, Malmö och Borlänge.

Today

Fryshuset’s work is based on the belief that everybody can succeed and are worth to be given another chance to make a new beginning. They want young people’s voice to be taken seriously because Fryshuset are convinced that it contributes to a creative and solution-oriented societal climate that dares to think in new ways and to find innovative solutions.

Fryshuset strive to achieve this through the following fields of work:

Youth Culture - It is recognized that sports and other cultural activities contributes to better physical and mental health. Fryshuset motivate young people to exert influence and encourage them to participate in activities that promote the personal development and improve their health.

Education and training - Fryshuset’s lower secondary school, Fryshuset’s upper secondary school, Fryshuset Danscenter

Rolemodels and future perspective - Fryshuset engage youth in various types of activities that aim to promote a sense of community and provides adult support. Also, they support people who want to leave extremist and criminal environments, based on the conviction that everyone is worth another chance.

Work and entrepreneurship - Fryshuset want to take advantage of young people's driving force and help to lower the thresholds for entering into the labour market. They provide opportunities for young people's first employment, acquisition of qualifications and qualifying experiences.

Activities

Rolemodels and future perspective

• The Brobyggarna, or "Bridge Builders" is a project aiming at guiding young boys into adulthood by giving them good role models. Boys and men get together in groups and engage in a number of activities together, but the decisive ingredient is really the relationship between the boys and their role models.[2]
• Centre for information about destructive sub-cultures (CIDES) works with developing and disseminating effective approaches for combating the formation of subcultures such as criminal gangs, white power movements, soccer-hooligans and other destructive groups.[3]
• The Lugna Gatan, or "Calm Street" Project started in 1995 in order to counteract violence and vandalism within Stockholm’s public transportation system by hiring young adult people as role models to teenagers and young delinquent people. Since then Easy Street has become a comprehensive program of social integration and a way to get unemployed young people back into the employment market.[4]https://ec.europa.eu/esf/transnationality/ngo-1622
• Elektra and Sharaf heroes and Sharaf heroines work against honor related violence and oppression.[5]
• The Emerich foundation was founded by Emerich Roth, who survived Auschwitz but lost 40 family members in the Holocaust. Emerich came to Sweden after the war and worked as a social worker for 30 years. After his retirement he came to Fryshuset and lectured in schools about racism and hate and what to do about it. He set up a foundation that rewards young people’s efforts to improve humanity and tolerance.[6]
• Exit helps young people to leave Nazi, racist or other extremist movements.[7][8]
• Fryshuset Web Coaches guide and support young people on the Internet.[9]
• Passus helps people who want to leave gangs and criminal organizations. Passus provides: mental and social rehabilitation, support to families of gang members, prevention among young people and educating professionals within schools, the social service, the police, the prison and probation agency etc. Passus is a sequel to Exit (see above) which since 1998 has worked with helping people leave the White Power movements.[10]
• Sea-life organizes sailing courses, boat trips and camps in the archipelago for kids who never had a chance to enjoy sea-oriented diversions.
• Single mothers and children of single mothers works with single mothers and children living in economically and socially exposed circumstances in order to strengthen their social network and let them enjoy things that usually costs money. The project organises activities such as kids parties and visits to the zoo and amusement parks.[11]
• United Sisters works with boosting self-esteem and self-respect among young girls and guide them into adulthood.[12]
• Young-in helps young people (aged 16 to 24) who don’t study nor have any contact with the Employment Service – to get a job. Young-in is run by the Employment Service, Fryshuset, Friends and the authorities of Stockholm City with support from the European Social Fund.https://ec.europa.eu/esf/transnationality/ngo-1622

Work and entrepreneurship

• The Entrepreneurial project is a network where leaders and entrepreneurs get together to learn and develop. The project offers courses, mentors, internships, trainee programs and lots more.
• The Fryshus spirit – dissemination of prevention methods. Fryshuset tours the country educating and encouraging people to start new and develop already existing projects and activities for young people. During the tour local projects and efforts are rewarded with the Vattenfall Energispridar award.

Education and training

• Fryshuset’s high school (Fryshuset gymnasium) offers education along with basketball, skateboarding, writing, dance, theatre, music, image and design and gaming. The school has around 900 students.
• Fryshusets elementary school for 6 to 9 graders offers elementary education along with basketball, dance, skate or music.

Youth Culture

• Fryshuset Basket is a youth basketball society based at Fryshuset, with around 3500 registered players.
• F.U.S.E works with young musicians, performers and bands in order to give them the information they need to create a platform in the music industry. F.U.S.E also produces and releases records. F.U.S.E is an abbreviation of the Swedish words for Company, Education, Support and Commitment.
• The Gym is the sports club at Fryshuset.
• Lovely Days offers sports and cultural activities to kids during school holidays.
• The Music Department is home to around 600 musicians and 100 bands rehearsing in 39 music studios and to Fryshuset's concert venues; The Club and The Arena.
• Night Courses offers evening courses in music, dance and theatre, electric guitar, electric bass, drums, keyboards, DJ mixing, DJ-courses for girls and music production.
• Stockholm Skate Park is an indoor arena for skateboarding. The hall covers 1600 square meters and is the home ground for Fryshuset high school's skateboarding classes.
• Theatre Fryshuset writes and produces plays about contemporary social issues, such as The burning ghetto and Top Boys – a hooligan's story.

Also at Fryshuset

• Fryshuset at Almedalen – every year Fryshuset participates in Sweden's biggest annual political get-together Almedalsveckan. One week in July, politicians, lobby-groups, organisations, business and the media gathers to debate Sweden's future. Fryshuset emphasizes young people's situation and possibilities.
• Fryshuset Church is a cooperation between the Diocese of Stockholm, Sofia parish and EFS Mittsverige (a branch within th Swedish church). The purpose is to encourage and support contemplation about major issues such as the meaning of life, good and evil, etc.
• Fryshuset Kitchen and Café is the restaurant at Fryshuset.

References

1. Ipgrave, Julia (30 July 2019). Interreligious Engagement in Urban Spaces: Social, Material and Ideological Dimensions. Springer. ISBN 978-3-030-16796-7.
2. "Fryshuset foundation - EUROPEAN SOCIAL FUND - European Commission". EUROPEAN SOCIAL FUND. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
3. "Fryshuset foundation - EUROPEAN SOCIAL FUND - European Commission". EUROPEAN SOCIAL FUND. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
4. "Social entrepreneurs fighting for outsiders". www.nordiclabourjournal.org. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
5. "Fryshuset foundation - EUROPEAN SOCIAL FUND - European Commission". EUROPEAN SOCIAL FUND. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
6. "Fryshuset foundation - EUROPEAN SOCIAL FUND - European Commission". EUROPEAN SOCIAL FUND. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
7. "Fryshuset foundation - EUROPEAN SOCIAL FUND - European Commission". EUROPEAN SOCIAL FUND. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
8. Lodenius, Anna-Lena. "To leave a destructive life full of hate - The Story of Exit in Sweden" (PDF).
9. "Fryshuset foundation - EUROPEAN SOCIAL FUND - European Commission". EUROPEAN SOCIAL FUND. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
10. "Fryshuset foundation - EUROPEAN SOCIAL FUND - European Commission". EUROPEAN SOCIAL FUND. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
11. "Fryshuset foundation - EUROPEAN SOCIAL FUND - European Commission". EUROPEAN SOCIAL FUND. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
12. "Fryshuset foundation - EUROPEAN SOCIAL FUND - European Commission". EUROPEAN SOCIAL FUND. Retrieved 27 December 2019.