Örebro is one of Sweden’s largest cities, and the problem of young people who, for various reasons, interrupt their schooling is growing. In many cases, it is about mental health issues where the school situation becomes unsustainable. In other cases, it may involve crime, drugs, and home conditions that create an unsustainable school situation.
The organization’s main mission is to help these young people return to studies in some form. For them to reach a point where returning is possible, it is essential that they feel hope for their own future. In Ung Arenas work, they strive to create an environment where they can identify what might help each individual move forward—listening, understanding, and presenting the options available to them.
Practicing being in a group is a major part of the work so that the young people can feel safe, improve their well-being, and experience joy—being part of a community, belonging, and finding meaning for themselves, others, and society.
The “Magic Carpets” residency at OpenArt 2026
In the “Magic Carpets” residency programme, the artists worked with the youths involving them in creativity and their artistic practice in different ways.
In the organisations own words:
”Örebro, together with OpenArt, offers an incredible cultural exchange in many forms, not least Scandinavia’s largest art exhibition every other year. The space to express oneself through different mediums is available to residents, especially young people. We place great emphasis on collaboration between organisations and are open to trying new things—all to meet the needs of our participants and their often unexplored interests.
Through OpenArt and “Magic Carpets”, we gained close insight into OpenArt as an organisation, but also the opportunity to be part of something that felt bigger—an experience of inclusion and encounters with artists and staff in the venues and workshops, which showcased examples of what might seem like a rather abstract professional field. During the course of the project, a familiar and welcoming environment emerged; participants became part of something larger, their voices were listened to with interest and even recognized by several of the artists. The project offered us and our young people a meaningful exchange that complemented our activities in a wonderful way.
After the project ended, we wanted to continue the sense of community it had created. Our volunteers, who supported us during the project, had the opportunity to run the group independently to keep the conversations and creative outlets alive for the young people. The activity is still ongoing, and we call it “Creative Corner.”
Number of community members included in the project: about 25 people in total for the duration of the project, including 2+1 leaders from KAA.
Reasons for participating in the “Magic Carpets” project: To offer young people who neither work nor study—and who may have a long history of school absenteeism—the opportunity to take part in a creative environment. The organisation recognised the importance of allocating resources to this in order to provide security and support for these young people.