OSMO2 - Multicultural Competences in One-Stop-Guidance Centers

OSMO2 - Multicultural competences in One-Stop Guidance Centers

A low-threshold One-Stop Guidance Center service model (Ohjaamo) for young people has been built in Finland as a part of the implementation of the Youth Guarantee. The multidisciplinary One-Stop Guidance Centers are service points for young people under the age of 30. Their core activities include personal advice and guidance, support in life management, career planning, developing social skills and competence, and supporting education and employment. The clients of the One-Stop Guidance Centers include young people with an immigrant background, and in the future this client group is expected to grow also in municipalities with a low number of immigrants.  

The OSMO2 implemented training, sparring and coaching for the personnel working at the One-Stop Guidance Centers and their background organisations in a needs-oriented and customer-oriented manner. OSMO2 paid particular attention to the development of competences that promote equality, accessibility and customer participation at One-Stop Guidance Centers. These events and the online course were attended more than 400 times, which means more than 130 people from approximately 35 One-Stop Guidance Centers participated. The target of 80 participants was thus exceeded. The original objective of the project was to achieve longer-lasting and One-Stop Guidance Center-specific coaching. However, it was hindered by the personnel turnover at One-Stop Guidance Centers and local government pilots for employment, not to mention the coronavirus pandemic. The project still succeeded in achieving the objectives. The target was 170 person-days, and the result was approximately 250 person-days.  

The project reached both people of One-Stop Guidance Centers and those interested in multiculturalism and equality also on social media channels and websites. During the project, an online course Yhdenvertainen opetus ja ohjaus ('Equal teaching and guidance,' 5 cr) was developed in cooperation with the Potentiaali – Stereotypioita purkavan ohjauksen kehittämishanke development project ('Potential – breaking down stereotypes through guidance'), which will remain, for example, in Jamk Open University of Applied Sciences' course selection. The online course also became a compulsory part of the professional teacher education at Jamk School of Professional Teacher Education and an optional part of the study counsellor education.  

Another main objective of the project was to develop a manual on multicultural guidance from the perspective of accessibility, equality and participation in guidance, which would be available to One-Stop Guidance Centers even after the end of the project. The Equal One-Stop Guidance Center website was created as part of the previously developed Multicultural Guidance Toolkit website at oppimateriaalit.jamk.fi/monikulttuurinenohjaus (in Finnish).  The Equal One-Stop Guidance Center website can be found at the short address bit.ly/YhdenvertainenOhjaamo in Finnish and bit.ly/LikabehandlingNavigatorn in Swedish. The project website at jamk.fi/osmo2 (in Finnish) describes the activities during the project. 

The project also aimed to influence the structures and practices of the One-Stop Guidance Centers so that genuine non-discrimination and equality would be ensured for clients with an immigrant background as well. This was partly achieved by developing equality and accessibility criteria for the One-Stop Guidance Centers to assess and develop operations and for common discussion. Additionally, OSMO2 piloted the One-Stop Guidance Centers' own equality and non-discrimination planning process. The purpose of the plan was to ensure equal treatment of everyone at One-Stop Guidance Centers and to involve the target group, i.e., young people, in the planning. OSMO2 also aimed to influence the promotion of equality issues at One-Stop Guidance Centers and the background organisations steering them, even in the future. This was achieved partly, for example, through the steering group and other support projects of the One-Stop Guidance Centers. 

The third objective set for the project was to ensure cooperation within the project group and to cooperate with the support projects of the One-Stop Guidance Centers. This was also realised throughout the project, especially by participating in common events organised by the Kohtaamo project, such as the One-Stop Guidance Center Days and by planning joint coaching sessions, for example with the TESSU2 – Training and supporting the One-Stop Guidance Centers project.