Trusted by Young People: Preparing Future Professionals for Relational Practice in Diverse Urban Communities

This workshop takes place at OsloMet’s Holmlia campus, located in one of Oslo’s most diverse urban districts and home to ongoing efforts to lower barriers to higher education for young people from socioeconomically challenged areas.

OsloMet educates teachers, early childhood educators, social workers and other welfare professionals, and works closely with the local community. This includes initiatives such as  Hvor er mine brødre? (Where Are My Brothers?), which aims to increase the representation of young men with minority backgrounds in key frontline professions, and the research project Ungtillit (Youth-trust): Exploring Relationships of Trust and Distrust Between Youth Populations and Public Services in Vulnerable Areas. 

The workshop explores how universities and city districts can prepare future professionals to build trusting, respectful and effective relationships with young people, especially those growing up in complex urban environments. Short inputs will highlight how different welfare professions develop relational competence, cultural sensitivity and a trustbased approach. Most of the session will be devoted to dialogue and shared reflection:

What skills do young people say they need from professionals? How do we teach and practice these skills? And what approaches actually work in building trust?

Participants will be invited to share methods, experiences and challenges from their own cities, with a focus on developing trustworthy practice across diverse Nordic urban settings.

The workshop will be facilitated by Monika Grønli Rosten and Sahayathasan Kaithampillai