![](https://designit-web.imgix.net/images/Point-of-view/Bydel-Grunnerlokka/BG-Banner-1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&cs=srgb&fit=clip&q=90&w=400&s=19ff4c5bd5dc0677ad3beddd8395ec13 400w, https://designit-web.imgix.net/images/Point-of-view/Bydel-Grunnerlokka/BG-Banner-1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&cs=srgb&fit=clip&q=90&w=600&s=284918cd1328c7e72113a501f4caf158 600w, https://designit-web.imgix.net/images/Point-of-view/Bydel-Grunnerlokka/BG-Banner-1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&cs=srgb&fit=clip&q=90&w=800&s=0e33d4dfbc4b6abb5e9dde83cf71598a 800w, https://designit-web.imgix.net/images/Point-of-view/Bydel-Grunnerlokka/BG-Banner-1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&cs=srgb&fit=clip&q=90&w=1000&s=9b8e62cf5625644d808cd1f93ad30444 1000w, https://designit-web.imgix.net/images/Point-of-view/Bydel-Grunnerlokka/BG-Banner-1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&cs=srgb&fit=clip&q=90&w=1200&s=dc558f5ea52d02259cf62a88072e87e6 1200w, https://designit-web.imgix.net/images/Point-of-view/Bydel-Grunnerlokka/BG-Banner-1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&cs=srgb&fit=clip&q=90&w=1400&s=e4aaa0a5cdad8d3e7b116d8420c0e009 1400w, https://designit-web.imgix.net/images/Point-of-view/Bydel-Grunnerlokka/BG-Banner-1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&cs=srgb&fit=clip&q=90&w=1600&s=f10d50c953a1c239b1cb9fa1f4b1e781 1600w, https://designit-web.imgix.net/images/Point-of-view/Bydel-Grunnerlokka/BG-Banner-1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&cs=srgb&fit=clip&q=90&w=1800&s=6139ebb991849619968cd4a0df7f932d 1800w, https://designit-web.imgix.net/images/Point-of-view/Bydel-Grunnerlokka/BG-Banner-1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&cs=srgb&fit=clip&q=90&w=2000&s=c780780f644b745448d0e5d1a5cdce67 2000w, https://designit-web.imgix.net/images/Point-of-view/Bydel-Grunnerlokka/BG-Banner-1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&cs=srgb&fit=clip&q=90&w=2200&s=725bbb64bf280d52d60b2bc57e693932 2200w, https://designit-web.imgix.net/images/Point-of-view/Bydel-Grunnerlokka/BG-Banner-1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&cs=srgb&fit=clip&q=90&w=2400&s=11320f24ce7d91fa85dac84f13bedbb8 2400w, https://designit-web.imgix.net/images/Point-of-view/Bydel-Grunnerlokka/BG-Banner-1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&cs=srgb&fit=clip&q=90&w=2600&s=c3b5973d22d16e259092220919f5e7c4 2600w)
With 62,500 inhabitants, Grünerløkka is Oslo's most populated district. It also has some of the highest social contrasts in the city. The district and The Norwegian Education Agency are experiencing a high drop-out rate between middle school and upper secondary school. But how can this complex issue be addressed? By building out services and offerings that can support at-risk youth.
Grünerløkka worked with Designit to make this happen. Through research, we found that the critical period going from middle to upper secondary school is where there is a missing element between the district and schools, and as such, a lot of drop-outs happen. Without completed upper secondary education, entering the job market can be more difficult, which can further cause people to fall between the cracks later in life. It also leads to 30 million NOK annually in social-economic costs.
![](https://designit-web.imgix.net/images/Point-of-view/Bydel-Grunnerlokka/BG-2.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&cs=srgb&fit=clip&q=90&w=600&s=ff0c53f0c637a983f0a363651bf1b567 600w, https://designit-web.imgix.net/images/Point-of-view/Bydel-Grunnerlokka/BG-2.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&cs=srgb&fit=clip&q=90&w=800&s=f2c54f1bac3e49495e3c39206d1f7ad0 800w, https://designit-web.imgix.net/images/Point-of-view/Bydel-Grunnerlokka/BG-2.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&cs=srgb&fit=clip&q=90&w=1000&s=aeb265c9baaea4163b9d5562300d04eb 1000w, https://designit-web.imgix.net/images/Point-of-view/Bydel-Grunnerlokka/BG-2.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&cs=srgb&fit=clip&q=90&w=1200&s=90b5068ab5adcb95f3867aae930c4dc9 1200w, https://designit-web.imgix.net/images/Point-of-view/Bydel-Grunnerlokka/BG-2.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&cs=srgb&fit=clip&q=90&w=1400&s=81e7a1baa559b68f620e213a54bc0b0c 1400w, https://designit-web.imgix.net/images/Point-of-view/Bydel-Grunnerlokka/BG-2.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&cs=srgb&fit=clip&q=90&w=1600&s=d66ae9cbd040b2c3f0b9f927604dd7fa 1600w, https://designit-web.imgix.net/images/Point-of-view/Bydel-Grunnerlokka/BG-2.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&cs=srgb&fit=clip&q=90&w=1800&s=84cea94f16044127434eb7f66d9b6580 1800w, https://designit-web.imgix.net/images/Point-of-view/Bydel-Grunnerlokka/BG-2.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&cs=srgb&fit=clip&q=90&w=2000&s=cf5234c154dcf5a7806991b5f3981fb0 2000w, https://designit-web.imgix.net/images/Point-of-view/Bydel-Grunnerlokka/BG-2.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&cs=srgb&fit=clip&q=90&w=2200&s=822c3dbc8a6805694bf55cfd81209a74 2200w, https://designit-web.imgix.net/images/Point-of-view/Bydel-Grunnerlokka/BG-2.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&cs=srgb&fit=clip&q=90&w=2400&s=240639a90ed01ba069798ff3fb22bb98 2400w, https://designit-web.imgix.net/images/Point-of-view/Bydel-Grunnerlokka/BG-2.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&cs=srgb&fit=clip&q=90&w=2600&s=d18f5a24a2b34a6b2366257b6dff04c2 2600w)
The reasons for dropping out are many, they're complex, and there's no single root cause to point at and solve. The project's goal was to systematise and build on the existing services and offerings for young people at risk of dropping out, with a result that supports them towards graduating.
We worked with Bydel Grünerløkka to design initiatives aiding young people in this vulnerable phase using comprehensive visualisation, insights, collaborative creation, and user testing. The process helped us see the broader picture of this complex problem and strategise on more robust design solutions. Some key findings were the lack of a mandate to follow up with students in this period and the lack of collaborative structures between public institutions for the shift to occur. This became a key focus for the design work.
![](https://designit-web.imgix.net/images/Point-of-view/Bydel-Grunnerlokka/BG-3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&cs=srgb&fit=clip&q=90&w=600&s=72528bafd09f2295d524e33b7a7286ac 600w, https://designit-web.imgix.net/images/Point-of-view/Bydel-Grunnerlokka/BG-3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&cs=srgb&fit=clip&q=90&w=800&s=ba276a34f2b39af1d51b9c7d83fee6bd 800w, https://designit-web.imgix.net/images/Point-of-view/Bydel-Grunnerlokka/BG-3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&cs=srgb&fit=clip&q=90&w=1000&s=bacb4451218df69ef00ec1ff30839506 1000w, https://designit-web.imgix.net/images/Point-of-view/Bydel-Grunnerlokka/BG-3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&cs=srgb&fit=clip&q=90&w=1200&s=30da0d1f32f87a3d76295168938e718b 1200w, https://designit-web.imgix.net/images/Point-of-view/Bydel-Grunnerlokka/BG-3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&cs=srgb&fit=clip&q=90&w=1400&s=2a0e7e9051b9ef21d3ebb110a38f7f65 1400w, https://designit-web.imgix.net/images/Point-of-view/Bydel-Grunnerlokka/BG-3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&cs=srgb&fit=clip&q=90&w=1600&s=ae5714288bac79ce352506b9cde611c1 1600w, https://designit-web.imgix.net/images/Point-of-view/Bydel-Grunnerlokka/BG-3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&cs=srgb&fit=clip&q=90&w=1800&s=dbe3d1cfb747a75a7dc7dfae6a048347 1800w, https://designit-web.imgix.net/images/Point-of-view/Bydel-Grunnerlokka/BG-3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&cs=srgb&fit=clip&q=90&w=2000&s=625d423fc2d3a08f913a7400a5c0b665 2000w, https://designit-web.imgix.net/images/Point-of-view/Bydel-Grunnerlokka/BG-3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&cs=srgb&fit=clip&q=90&w=2200&s=e7f9f587191ee211e0e99b0b711dad6d 2200w, https://designit-web.imgix.net/images/Point-of-view/Bydel-Grunnerlokka/BG-3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&cs=srgb&fit=clip&q=90&w=2400&s=539ca13b742da3bf908a4539484f2db9 2400w, https://designit-web.imgix.net/images/Point-of-view/Bydel-Grunnerlokka/BG-3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&cs=srgb&fit=clip&q=90&w=2600&s=a8a4fc1f3d488b76b0daad0e03bcef93 2600w)
The Bridging Service is an offering at Grünerløkka's middle schools, where a bridging guide works closely with at-risk young people, parents and other relevant actors, such as teachers and advisors, to ensure they have all the necessary support to move to upper secondary school. They have a flexible role that goes beyond the school and are mandated to follow up with the at-risk youth from when they start their final grade. The offering’s aim is completion of the final grade of middle school, a safe transition and a good start in upper secondary school.
‘One of the major challenges the school has had is following up with young people after they leave tenth grade. The bridging guides are of great help to those young people who need follow-up after they have started upper secondary school. These are often young people who are difficult to reach, difficult to make agreements with and difficult to follow up with, and the school doesn't have the capacity to help that these young people need. The legislation states that the school must follow up, but in reality, they don't have the capacity to do that. Here, the bridging guides relieve a lot of the burden.’
School leader and advisor
![](https://designit-web.imgix.net/images/Point-of-view/Bydel-Grunnerlokka/BG-4.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&cs=srgb&fit=clip&q=90&w=600&s=bfc5632fd5c97ec50509337ffd372ad3 600w, https://designit-web.imgix.net/images/Point-of-view/Bydel-Grunnerlokka/BG-4.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&cs=srgb&fit=clip&q=90&w=800&s=ee9a6b4ee026f2c7a350bc3404510834 800w, https://designit-web.imgix.net/images/Point-of-view/Bydel-Grunnerlokka/BG-4.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&cs=srgb&fit=clip&q=90&w=1000&s=2b67a7b1db9b06ecc976f3b4a1f45a17 1000w, https://designit-web.imgix.net/images/Point-of-view/Bydel-Grunnerlokka/BG-4.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&cs=srgb&fit=clip&q=90&w=1200&s=f6f238209cf116412b560374a25f5958 1200w, https://designit-web.imgix.net/images/Point-of-view/Bydel-Grunnerlokka/BG-4.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&cs=srgb&fit=clip&q=90&w=1400&s=2ae9ecf9759e9ce270c54a9aa42699a9 1400w, https://designit-web.imgix.net/images/Point-of-view/Bydel-Grunnerlokka/BG-4.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&cs=srgb&fit=clip&q=90&w=1600&s=156b4fbc923fd0a32391563cd04e8a81 1600w, https://designit-web.imgix.net/images/Point-of-view/Bydel-Grunnerlokka/BG-4.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&cs=srgb&fit=clip&q=90&w=1800&s=77fb4281b99918aa79498c1a47060125 1800w, https://designit-web.imgix.net/images/Point-of-view/Bydel-Grunnerlokka/BG-4.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&cs=srgb&fit=clip&q=90&w=2000&s=647e4fd93855ab5bcdd355075bd89e70 2000w, https://designit-web.imgix.net/images/Point-of-view/Bydel-Grunnerlokka/BG-4.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&cs=srgb&fit=clip&q=90&w=2200&s=cfbc89784fa0c7bd3b8aa26b9dcf0fb1 2200w, https://designit-web.imgix.net/images/Point-of-view/Bydel-Grunnerlokka/BG-4.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&cs=srgb&fit=clip&q=90&w=2400&s=45acb6ce7890d0639e60a5de2c27da96 2400w, https://designit-web.imgix.net/images/Point-of-view/Bydel-Grunnerlokka/BG-4.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&cs=srgb&fit=clip&q=90&w=2600&s=c053a8b98f87b4cda010a91898e6ef11 2600w)
Philip Sacro, one of the bridging guides. Photo: Willy Nikkers / DOGA
Young people tell us, "It's as if you've read my mind with this". The service meets real user needs and will ensure better collaboration between the district and schools to reduce drop-outs. From the fall of 2021, a pilot has been run at Sofienberg School to iterate around the solution and estimate its effect. We are proud to say that in the first year of its release, 100% of bridging service students successfully moved from middle secondary to upper secondary with the help of Grünerløkka's new service.
‘In summary, (the Bridging Service) is very, very good! It's a much more comprehensive way of working with the transition to upper secondary school. Great relief for the advisers as more people can follow up, especially about career guidance. There is a great need for that from when school starts until the application deadline of 1 March. The bridging guides relieve and help in career guidance and provide additional guidance in educational choices. This is worth its weight in gold.’
School leader and advisor
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Details
Client
Project team
Contact info for Raoul Koreman
Service Designer,
Oslo
Contact info for Dr. Pardis Shafafi
Get in touch
Kaja Misvær Kistorp
Director of Service Design,
Oslo