Activities:
Today I went to the wood chopping place. They have an electric axe that does a good job. I found an axe and tried to chop wood the good old fashioned way, but the wood did not agree. After that Geyer took me with them to unload some cans, to a very beautiful place outside town. Of course I didn't even touch the cans, they were very heavy, it was so nice of him to take me with him just to see the surroundings. Yenyh(??) came to work today, he was very talkative, as always. He told me how he quit school in the 9th grade, some businesses that he had, how he started using drugs, how he was left without money from the goverment and so he started making amphetamine for 5 years. Also how he threatened a government worker because she wouldn't give him the money from the state. All of this in the same tone, at the same speed, very natural, as if there's nothing uncommon in it. Trond is another guy that I talked a lot with today, we discussed politics, geography and other wordly topics. He seemes to be a very normal person, as in without any social problems. Yenyh, during his countless talks, told us about the guy I was writing about yesterday as being not so sober (his name is Havard). He told us that he saw him on Tv when he got released from prison, not so long ago. Diana asked but what did he serve time for? And he replied don't worry, he's a good guy, he just sometimes does stupid things. However, not everytime someone gets relesed from prison they appear on the news, so he must've done something...
Lecture:
Evin told us a little bit about the system. There's a system for help, called NAV, that acts in 3 levels: state, regional and community. The people who benefit from NAV can be in one of these two categories: "Social care" or "Ufore Trygd" (the ones from the latter are given a pension for their entire life). These people, the beneficiaries, are in very bad relations with the people working at NAV, as they are checked, controlled and asked for many documents by them. The people working at NAV are also unhappy to have to deal with the beneficiaries, as they many times go to the office angry or under drug or alcohol influence. Dagsverket acts as an intermediary between NAV and the beneficiaries, because they can communicate efficiently with both parties: they can make the beneficiaries understand the system better, making them less angry against it. Every year, 10 to 15 people find permanent work through Dagsverket. For the government, it is cheaper to financially support this company, because people who benefit from the NAV are a very high cost, so if they are reintegrated in the work field, it saves the government a lot of money, and they also become tax payers. Also, Dagsverket helps reduce the alcohol and drug consumption for these people: first of all, it is forbidden to use these substances during the 4 hours of work; then they also have to refrain from using before work, even the night before, to be able to go to work and be proper; then, it gives them a sense of utility, a satisfaction, and they stop wanting drugs; they also provide health care for them, as they have a free dentist once a week, free doctor, gynecologist and others. Sometimes people who started off again by working there and now have a job, come to visit and share their stories, how they have a job, bought a car or are maybe now allowed to see their children, and it gives the others an ambition to have the same things.
Personal impressions:
Some of these people look perfectly normal on the outside, I would have never guessed there was something wrong with them if I didn't see them there. They are also very different from each other, just like any other person, you can find people who are smart, people who aren't, people with or without an education, with or without a family, quiet people, friendly people, strange people and so on. But the talks I had were very enjoyable, I didn't feel like there was something unnatural or that I was forcibly doing something (unlike Cyprus). And I guess there is no other way to go around it.
marți, 25 februarie 2014
luni, 24 februarie 2014
24/02 - Day 2 at Dagsverket
Today is Monday, and the second day of work at Dagsverket. Things are not so new anymore, so maybe this will be a shorter post.
Activities:
Today I worked with Geyer again, this time cleaning parking lots. We were 4 people, plus the teamleader - five and we had to clean 5 or 6 parking lots. They were mostly clean already, nothing much to do. The parts that were not clean but were outside our territory, although 20 cm away, we didn't clean. By cleaning I mean picking up the track, with a stick and a bucket. Gideon and I shared a bucket, as there were only 4 buckets. He was very friendly, we talked, we joked and laughed. Very relaxing atmosphere, as before. Gideon told me what I already knew about the company, that they provide work for drug or alcohol addicts, mostly to keep them busy and help them win some extra cash. But he also told me that that's how it started, but now they also provide work for simply unemployed people, like himself. I did not insist on it and didn't ask personal questions, will talk to the boss about it when I have the chance. We finished work early, we stopped for lunch at McDonalds, where the teamleader bought food for everyone. Well, "food". Then we had another hour or so to spare, so he took us to his house, where he had two adorable young bulldogs, and we played with them, Everyone was smiling, that was so nice. Before that we picked up some recyclable material and we took it to the factory again.
One of today's workers was clearly not so sober. Couldn't tell what he used to make himself less aware of the surroundings, but I was not the only one who noticed it, and it was pretty obvious, although he wasn't misbehaving or anything. What the Evin, whose name I forgot told us on the presentation day, was that the workers are told that they are not allowed to use drugs or alcohol during the working hours, and if they are noticed as having done that, they are sent home. This did not happen today.
I saw some abandoned bicycles at the wood chopping centre, and was looking at one. Geyer took a look at it and said he would bring some tools tomorrow to fix it or maybe he'll bring a bike from home. That would be so great. People are really nice here.
Also, at the end of the day, one of the other teamleaders, but not any of our 2 supervisors, said that tomorrow we should put ourselves on the list and we will also get paid. That would be super dooper fantastic, but let's not get too excited, as we don't know if it will happen or not.
Personal impressions:
Although a different work, today's job was again very easy. We were all relaxed, having coffee, talking to each other, playing with the dogs. It's pretty clear that it's not about the work the beneficiaries do, it's to help them have a sense of belonging and, as Gideon said, to keep them busy.
Activities:
Today I worked with Geyer again, this time cleaning parking lots. We were 4 people, plus the teamleader - five and we had to clean 5 or 6 parking lots. They were mostly clean already, nothing much to do. The parts that were not clean but were outside our territory, although 20 cm away, we didn't clean. By cleaning I mean picking up the track, with a stick and a bucket. Gideon and I shared a bucket, as there were only 4 buckets. He was very friendly, we talked, we joked and laughed. Very relaxing atmosphere, as before. Gideon told me what I already knew about the company, that they provide work for drug or alcohol addicts, mostly to keep them busy and help them win some extra cash. But he also told me that that's how it started, but now they also provide work for simply unemployed people, like himself. I did not insist on it and didn't ask personal questions, will talk to the boss about it when I have the chance. We finished work early, we stopped for lunch at McDonalds, where the teamleader bought food for everyone. Well, "food". Then we had another hour or so to spare, so he took us to his house, where he had two adorable young bulldogs, and we played with them, Everyone was smiling, that was so nice. Before that we picked up some recyclable material and we took it to the factory again.
One of today's workers was clearly not so sober. Couldn't tell what he used to make himself less aware of the surroundings, but I was not the only one who noticed it, and it was pretty obvious, although he wasn't misbehaving or anything. What the Evin, whose name I forgot told us on the presentation day, was that the workers are told that they are not allowed to use drugs or alcohol during the working hours, and if they are noticed as having done that, they are sent home. This did not happen today.
I saw some abandoned bicycles at the wood chopping centre, and was looking at one. Geyer took a look at it and said he would bring some tools tomorrow to fix it or maybe he'll bring a bike from home. That would be so great. People are really nice here.
Also, at the end of the day, one of the other teamleaders, but not any of our 2 supervisors, said that tomorrow we should put ourselves on the list and we will also get paid. That would be super dooper fantastic, but let's not get too excited, as we don't know if it will happen or not.
Personal impressions:
Although a different work, today's job was again very easy. We were all relaxed, having coffee, talking to each other, playing with the dogs. It's pretty clear that it's not about the work the beneficiaries do, it's to help them have a sense of belonging and, as Gideon said, to keep them busy.
joi, 20 februarie 2014
20/02 - Day 1 at Dagsverket
About:
Today was the first day of work at Dagsverket. Dagsverket is sort of a work agency, part of a bigger project, called Stavne, who deals with people with social problems. At Dagsverket, people with social problems, such as drug or alcohol addiction, can find daily work. For four hours of work per day, they receive 200 NOK. They sign a contract at the beginning of each day, and the work schedule is no longer than 1 o'clock, when they receive their money and go home. The work they do for that money can vary, as I've been told, but I'd rather put in this journal what I can observe on a daily basis, and then we'll have the bigger picture. We, the interns, assist them and work with them side by side. The idea behind this is giving people in distress a first chance to improve their lives - it gives them a job, a way to make some money, but also a way to become part of a community, to make friends, to find other people who share their problems, to have the satisfaction that they're doing something useful. People come there to seek work, but the point is to give them more than that, and to help them find a good path in life. I've been told that 10 to 15 of these people find permanent work every year, with the help of Dagsverket. The idea of working side by side with these people is to make the helper and the "helpee" equal, part of the same team, so that the helper can be trusted and the help he wants to give, accepted.
Activities:
Today was Thursday, a.k.a. food day. Every Thursday, a big company, TINE, gives away food that's about to expire within a week or so. It's mostly milk products, a lot (A LOT!!) of yoghourt, milk, some cottage cheese, and some ready-made food that you boil inside the bag. The workers at Dagsverket pick up this food and share it: we went to two houses, where we left some of the food, then at the Dagsverket centre, where we left half of the food, and the other half at a cantine opened by the salvation army, where poor people and drug addicts can eat for free. The food at the Dagsverket centre is given away to the daily workers; they can take whatever they like and bring it home, and also eat there for lunch.
After we took and shared the food, we went to another place where other Dagsverket clients were working, took some disposable things, made of wood or metal, and took them to a recycle centre. I was told we were also supposed to pick up food from another company, called COOP, but it was already 1 o'clock when we finished with the recycled materials, so we just called it a day. At the end of the day, the staff at the centre, including clients, have a meeting and discuss what happened during the day. But this did not happen today, because the boss was missing.
Personal impressions:
At first, when I was told I would do physical work, I thought I wouldn't be able to see the relevance of my work. But I realised the work was not difficult at all, and a very good method of observation and of getting in direct contact with these people. The team leader did most of the work, it was also an easy job for the other workers, not just for me. When we went to the wood chopping centre, where the other workers were, I saw Anne Christine and Gideon hugging and being very happy to see each other. This was the first small sign that pointed to the fact that "therapy" through work works, and people do get indeed connected and become a community.
Today was the first day of work at Dagsverket. Dagsverket is sort of a work agency, part of a bigger project, called Stavne, who deals with people with social problems. At Dagsverket, people with social problems, such as drug or alcohol addiction, can find daily work. For four hours of work per day, they receive 200 NOK. They sign a contract at the beginning of each day, and the work schedule is no longer than 1 o'clock, when they receive their money and go home. The work they do for that money can vary, as I've been told, but I'd rather put in this journal what I can observe on a daily basis, and then we'll have the bigger picture. We, the interns, assist them and work with them side by side. The idea behind this is giving people in distress a first chance to improve their lives - it gives them a job, a way to make some money, but also a way to become part of a community, to make friends, to find other people who share their problems, to have the satisfaction that they're doing something useful. People come there to seek work, but the point is to give them more than that, and to help them find a good path in life. I've been told that 10 to 15 of these people find permanent work every year, with the help of Dagsverket. The idea of working side by side with these people is to make the helper and the "helpee" equal, part of the same team, so that the helper can be trusted and the help he wants to give, accepted.
Activities:
Today was Thursday, a.k.a. food day. Every Thursday, a big company, TINE, gives away food that's about to expire within a week or so. It's mostly milk products, a lot (A LOT!!) of yoghourt, milk, some cottage cheese, and some ready-made food that you boil inside the bag. The workers at Dagsverket pick up this food and share it: we went to two houses, where we left some of the food, then at the Dagsverket centre, where we left half of the food, and the other half at a cantine opened by the salvation army, where poor people and drug addicts can eat for free. The food at the Dagsverket centre is given away to the daily workers; they can take whatever they like and bring it home, and also eat there for lunch.
After we took and shared the food, we went to another place where other Dagsverket clients were working, took some disposable things, made of wood or metal, and took them to a recycle centre. I was told we were also supposed to pick up food from another company, called COOP, but it was already 1 o'clock when we finished with the recycled materials, so we just called it a day. At the end of the day, the staff at the centre, including clients, have a meeting and discuss what happened during the day. But this did not happen today, because the boss was missing.
Personal impressions:
At first, when I was told I would do physical work, I thought I wouldn't be able to see the relevance of my work. But I realised the work was not difficult at all, and a very good method of observation and of getting in direct contact with these people. The team leader did most of the work, it was also an easy job for the other workers, not just for me. When we went to the wood chopping centre, where the other workers were, I saw Anne Christine and Gideon hugging and being very happy to see each other. This was the first small sign that pointed to the fact that "therapy" through work works, and people do get indeed connected and become a community.
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