Municipality of Delft

Empowering youth to work towards their future is the goal of the Delft Youth Academy, which aims to assist young men and women with support needs in finding a suitable education or job through a special project. It's a unique approach that emphasizes talent. "You want every young person to have a good start."

An eye for talent

Jemaine (22) was eager to start working after completing her vocational training in Social Care (level 2). However, having that diploma didn't guarantee her a job. "After a few weeks of searching, I started to feel depressed. I couldn't find anything and felt disconnected from society." Money needed to come in, as Jemaine and her partner are the proud parents of a toddler. She decided to apply for benefits and was invited to join the Delft Youth Academy by the municipality of Delft.

Now, Jemaine spends twelve hours a week with other young people attending workshops and training sessions, as well as engaging in sports activities. Another twelve hours are spent at a workplace or participating in a pre-course at ROC Mondriaan. The goal is to assess the desires and capabilities of this group and create a plan for the future. The municipality receives around 700 reports concerning young people between the ages of 18 and 27 each year. About 200 young people enroll, but 100 also exit the program annually.

Make a good diagnosis

A portion of the new participants end up at the Youth Academy. Over twelve weeks, they learn to manage their administration, apply for jobs, attempt to assess and repay their debts, engage in sports activities together, and spend a few sessions working or participating in a pre-course for a vocational education program. In the meantime, they work on their action plan.

Before they start, their identity and talents are assessed, says Mira Tzvetkov, coordinator of the Delft Youth Academy. "In the past, we had one conversation, and then the young people moved on to programs through reintegration companies. Then we only received a report. We noticed that many young people returned. They went through five or six programs, but it kept failing."

Tzvetkov knew one thing for sure: it had to be different. "Making a good assessment is so important, but through the old approach, we didn't really get to know the young people, and we didn't know what was happening along the way. I realized that we could only make that assessment if we had intensive contact with these young people."

Empowering young people

She decided to carry out the entire process herself, guiding young people for a whole period from the Delft Youth Academy - which, in addition to Tzvetkov, consists of trainer Odair Inocencio and four consultants. With a much broader intake, discussing aspects like health, network, and daily activities, along with a talent and motivation analysis. The municipality already used the TMA Method, and Tzvetkov saw opportunities to use it for working with youth. "Especially because the approach is so positive," she explains. "Some young people keep hearing only what they cannot do, but this analysis shows where their talents lie."

A customized talent and motivation analysis - with fewer questions, as they often have a shorter attention span - is now the starting point for the program. Additionally, in collaboration with Codename Future, a workbook has been developed with tasks that often require the results of the TMA. Jemaine took the test and found the results 'confronting'. "Because it's so accurate. I let my mother and friend read it, and they immediately said, 'This is you.' It's also presented so positively. You really feel your strengths being reinforced."

"We are now much more focused on empowering the young people," Tzvetkov explains. "Before, it was often the story of the consultant, and now it's their story. As a result, they feel much stronger. Moreover, through the analysis, workbook, and a career and interest test, they have much more control over their action plan. They are now more conscious about themselves."

Suleyman (23) confirms this, having previously completed the program but not finding lasting work. "Today we're debating and giving opinions, tomorrow we're back at the computer, and at the end of the week, we're doing sports. That variety is pleasant."

Not the first job

Dimitri (24) didn't immediately see the value of sports, but now he sees the benefit of spending a few hours engaging with each other in a different way as something positive for himself. "I didn't go outside much because I was gaming at night and sleeping during the day, and I'm quite introverted. Through this program, I have more social interaction, and because you do a lot in groups, you pick up things without even realizing it."

Odair Inocencio has been working with young people for ten years and was hired by the municipality to contribute to the development of the Delft Youth Academy. "It's unique that Delft has developed its own approach for young people. Many municipalities don't look at the long term. They see twenty vacancies for cleaners and fill them with young people on benefits. In Delft, they don't want to just place them in the first available job; they really invest in the young people so that they can make a sustainable choice."

The coach believes that the TMA plays an important role in this. "It brings out a piece of quality, and the young people often don't even realize they have those qualities. So, they really get to know themselves better."

The workbook also contributes to this, says Inocencio, who is partly responsible for its composition. "When designing the assignments, we took the skills they need to develop - such as self-reliance, self-awareness, and the art of applying for internships or jobs - as a starting point. It's practical that everything is collected in one place, and it makes the development they go through measurable for us. Moreover, and this is very important because our main goal is to get them back to school, they get acquainted with the working methods of vocational schools in this way. And the assignments encourage them to work on their talents and areas for improvement."

Contact via WhatsApp

Inocencio sees that thanks to the program, young people are making better choices. "They really think about what they want and go for the education and jobs that they can sustain longer and genuinely enjoy," he says. "A good example is a girl who dreamed of a career as a professional tattoo artist. She was very firm about it, but of course, making a living from tattooing is very difficult. We advised her to also pursue something with more future prospects. Her TMA highlighted her strong social character, and ultimately, she is now exploring a tourism education."

For Tzvetkov, collaborating with young people also means keeping in touch with them in their own way. "We use WhatsApp to communicate with each other. It's much more direct; the young people are almost always reachable that way. Moreover, they find it more pleasant than deciphering bureaucratic letters." She notices that the new approach is paying off. "We see that the young people are less likely to return quickly, so our approach proves to be sustainable. And that was also the goal. You want every young person to have a good start."

"Some young people only hear what they cannot do, but this analysis reveals where their talents lie."

Mira Tzvetkov, Coordinator Delft Youth Academy

More structure and possibilities

Jemaine has meanwhile found a job, but she is not entirely satisfied yet. "This is part-time, and I want a real job, full-time, so that I can make a living from it. I feel like I can search better for that job because of this program. I now know where my talents lie and what my pitfalls are. And I am already working on my areas for

improvement. I have gained much more structure in my life and have so many opportunities here."

Suleyman's goal is to stand on his own feet. "Living on my own, earning my own money. That's why I am now fully focused on myself. I am at the beginning, but the first step has been taken." Dimitri, after three failed attempts, wants to pursue a study again and also try to find work. "I am very bad at selling myself; the personal profile on my CV consisted of just one line. But the further we are in the program, the longer my cover letters become."

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