Innovation in employment for disabled people

The innovation and entrepreneurship project, The Wasps, launched in September this year, and it is safe to say that there is great excitement among the organisers and not least the participants, who have spent the last few months on work placements, creating products for the Christmas Village, run an open café and maintain a blog. Six young people have taken an active part in the service provision, which aims to increase flexibility in services for people with disabilities in relation to employment and social participation.

The Municipality of Hafnarfjörður applied for a grant for innovation in employment for people with disabilities from the Ministry of Welfare and, in September this year, launched a new project in collaboration with the Employment Authority. The project aims to increase flexibility in services for disabled people regarding employment and social participation, and to give disabled people the opportunity to participate fully in society on their own terms. The project's aim is to increase innovation and entrepreneurship among disabled people through a value-adding social role in employment, thereby working towards a change in society's attitude towards disabled people. The project was named 'The Wasps', a name chosen by the service users at their very first meeting. Four young people started the programme, and there are now six of them, with two more expected to join after the New Year. Six of the young people are from Hafnarfjörður and two from Kópavogur. They are all young people who have recently finished secondary school, and their working hours at Geitungarnir are from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. 

Professional training, innovation and education

 During the autumn term, the young people have received work experience at Samkaup and Byko three days a week and have spent two days at the Hafnarfjörður Youth Centre working on innovation projects. In parallel, they have received a presentation from the Red Cross on its volunteer work, as well as financial education from Íslandsbanki. The innovation work involved creating products to sell at an open house and in the Hafnarfjörður Christmas Village on the weekends of 3-5 and 12-13 December. An open coffee house was also trialled, and nearly 60 people came for coffee. A young man within the group has been running
blog (Opens in a new browser tab)  and wrote news about the Wasps on the group's Facebook page. He has been made the group's information officer and is in contact with the Fjardarpostinn whenever the Wasps have something going on.

Increased emphasis on employment participation in the new year

 After the New Year, there will be a greater emphasis on employment participation in the general labour market and education in the form of lectures and discussions. There are also plans to hold an open café again and even sell soup at lunchtime. More companies are prepared to collaborate after the New Year, offering work placements for the young people, with a total of six workplaces available. The training already scheduled for the spring term focuses on health literacy, self-awareness and self-empowerment. The possibility of applying for a youth exchange for the group with Europe for Young People is being explored, with the aim of seeing exciting and excellent employment opportunities in Denmark or Sweden and thus gaining ideas and inspiration for the work.