Preface

The project “Voices of Young Immigrants – inclusion in education, work and society” has been one the focus areas within the field of education during the Icelandic presidency in the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2023.

This report presents the process and the results of this project. The report explains how Iceland has used the method and the model for co-creating meaningful and sustainable solutions and policies for fostering an inclusive environment for young immigrants in Iceland.

The Sustainable Model for Change methodology is designed to address complex societal challenges and supports:

NVL has applied this methodology to working with challenges linked to digitalisation and the target group of hard-to-reach learners and with challenges linked to integration and learning. Both, the researchers, and the practitioners, who have used this methodology, recognise that it can be adjusted and used in different contexts and with different target groups.

In Iceland a Design Based Research process was applied to enable the unlocking of insights from immigrants as well as various stakeholders looking specifically at challenges linked to inclusion. Findings reveal, among other things, that a closer attention is needed regarding integration into jobs, education and society through a more focused cooperation with the target group and all relevant stakeholders based on the identified solutions. Specific “blind spots” were identified revealing that many of the current measures in place are inefficient.

The report is part of the result package that was produced during the Icelandic presidency in the Nordic Council of Ministers and is supplemented by the:

The project has been commissioned by the education and working life sectors in the Nordic Council of Ministers.

Hope you find inspiration and guidance for your own work!