Youth and sailing

To get more young people to take an interest in boats, shipping and port operations, the Gothenburg Port Authority is continuing to sponsor Gårdstensbostäder’s integration project “Young People and Sailing”. The project is a sailing initiative that offers young people a sailing school and summer jobs. During the summer, 27 young people took part in the sailing school, and ten of them were offered summer jobs as sailing instructors and port hosts. Based on its mandate to reflect diversity in Gothenburg, the port authority is aiming to use this long-term initiative to secure future competence and increase the number of employees with a foreign background.

Young People and Sailing, a collaboration between Gårdstensbostäder, the Royal Gothenburg Yacht Club (GKSS) and Rotary Långedrag, is one of the most successful integration projects in Gothenburg. More than 400 young people from Gårdsten have had the chance to learn how to sail together with young people from other parts of the city. Work started in 2005 and the target group is those aged 8–13. The sailing school takes place over one week during the summer and is free of charge. The young people have the chance to try their hand at sailing and to meet other young people, broadening their network of contacts. They also have an opportunity to become sailing instructors later on and to be good role models for other young people in the area.