YOUTH IN BREDÄNG STARTED YOUNG ARENA

– The initiative is taken by the young people themselves. And it’s also youth who carry out work in the residential area, says project manager Robin Augün, who co-founded Young Arena.

Next door to Mälaren and surrounded by beautiful mixed forest we find Bredäng. The area, consisting mainly of apartment blocks but also detached houses, is home to nearly 11,000 people and Stena Fastigheter has just over 700 apartments. For those who want to commute to inner Stockholm, it takes 20 minutes by subway from Bredäng’s town center. A town center that is close to Robin Augün’s heart.

– It’s a meeting point for people in the area. What I love about Bredäng is that we have created a very cohesive community, where we help and care about each other. I’ll go to the town center to buy milk it ends up that I will meet someone I know, then we become two, three or ten people and next thing I know three hours have passed.

FROM IDEA TO ACTION

Robin and his friends had great visions and ideas in 2015, but they had no money, nor a place where they could meet and build on their dreams. Then the association came into contact with Sarah Pettersson, who works as a relation-ship manager at Stena Fastigheter Stockholm.

“Sarah Petterson was the first to believe in us and our idea. It was enough to have a phone call and a meeting with her. Then it all went quickly, and we had what we needed to start and operate this association. And a lot has happened since then”, says Robin.

COLLABORATION WITH STENA FASTIGHETER

In the role of relationship manager, Sarah
Pettersson works to realize neighborhoods where people feel safe and comfortable. She doesn’t do it alone, but rather together with other staff at Stena Fastigheter and in collaboration with other local actors. For Stena Fastigheter, it was an obvious choice to be involved with and support and collaborate with Young Arena.

“The members of Young Arena are incredibly committed to creating a pleasant and safe Bredäng. Something that is important to us as property managers. The collaboration also contributes to greater pride and social cohesion. Furthermore, the young people that get involved with Young Arena develop the confidence to facilitate their own activities in the area and project-manage them. This makes it so that they have a place to grow and develop, while giving back to their neighborhood”, says Sarah Pettersson.

FROM BINGO FOR SENIORS TO TALKS ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH

In the basement of one of Stena Fastigheter’s residential buildings, we find Young Arena. Konrad, Kevy, Samir, Daniel, Melina, Kalab and Eren are sat on a sofa and Robin reads the night’s agenda, which he has written down on a piece of paper. Among the agenda items is a collaboration with the Red Cross and the evaluation of the Bredäng Day – a day of activities during the festival where young and old meet and get to know each other.

“Our goal is for this to be an annual event for all ages”, says Robin.

With their contributions, the members of Young Arena want to, among other things, help young people focus on their studies, highlight local role models and help young people find jobs. They also organize girl and boy groups where participants have the opportunity to talk about things that affect them, such as mental health. The association also works to strengthen the connections between young and old in Bredäng, giving rise to events like bingo nights with the pensioners.  

“In many cases, creating change doesn’t require as much time and energy as many believe. The more of us that are involved, the less time each individual needs to put down. I myself work a lot with this. But it gives me more energy than it takes”, says Robin, smiling.⁄

Watch the film featuring Robin Augün and Young Arena at stenafastigheter.se/mittkvarter. Learn more about relationship management at stenafastigheter.se

www.stenafastigheter.se/stena-fastigheter/relationsforvaltning/