“It takes a whole village to raise a child.”
In Gothenburg, this is more than just a saying – it’s the foundation of a long-term movement to build trust, reduce inequality and strengthen communities in a city facing deep-rooted segregation.
Across Sweden’s second-largest city, schools are becoming much more than places of learning during teaching time. Through School as an Arena, 23 schools – with more on the way – have been transformed into safe spaces where children can gather, connect and participate in free after-school activities built around their own needs and ideas.
From student-run cinema nights to informal parent-police dialogues, breakfast clubs to youth-led budgeting, the initiative brings together children, families, teachers, social services, housing companies and local associations in a model of true community collaboration. Now, it’s shortlisted for the Eurocities Awards 2025 in the ‘Inspiring City Initiative’ category.
A school that never really closes
In Gothenburg, as in most European cities, many children in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas don’t have a safe place to go outside of school hours. Home can be cramped, youth clubs may feel unsafe and leisure activities are often expensive or too far away. But the team behind School as an Arena identified that schools are familiar, trusted and neutral spaces in these communities.
“We realised that, for many families, the school is the only public institution they really trust,” says David Geiser Mellkvist, planning officer for international projects at the City of Gothenburg. “So we asked, what if we could use that trust – not just during school hours, but beyond?”
We want these children to grow up knowing they’re part of Gothenburg, part of Sweden – and that they can shape their own future.
The result is a working method – not just a project – that places a coordinator in each school. Appointed by social services and partly funded by local housing companies, the coordinator – who knows the local area and understands the challenges – acts as a local connector. They listen to what children and parents want and bring together partners who can help make those ideas a reality.
One such coordinator supported a girl with a passion for storytelling who had never had the chance to explore it. With encouragement and practical help, she wrote a script, held auditions, made a short film with her friends – and saw it shown on the big screen at a city centre cinema. “That kind of moment stays with you,” says Geiser. “It gives confidence, pride and belief.”
Empowerment in action
In the district of Lövgärdet, the Children’s Board takes this idea even further. Young people are given an annual budget by the local housing company and the responsibility to decide – together – how it should be spent.
“They sit down, discuss, vote and decide. Often it’s small things – like a cinema trip, a party for Eid – but that’s not the point. The point is that it’s their decision,” explains Geiser. “They learn how to collaborate, take responsibility and see their decisions come to fruition. It’s democratic education in its purest form.”
This type of empowerment is especially crucial for children who may feel they have limited influence over their environment. The initiative has also made a particular effort to engage girls and children with disabilities – groups who are often underrepresented in mainstream leisure programmes. By keeping activities in a safe, known space like school, and by building personal relationships through the coordinator, participation among these groups has risen significantly.
From trust to transformation
The impact isn’t just anecdotal. Between 2023 and 2024, visits to School as an Arena activities rose from 90,000 to 130,000. Gender balance in participation – often skewed in other city-run activities – is now evenly split. Some schools have even reported improved academic outcomes, driven by engagement in homework clubs, breakfast programmes and general wellbeing support.
But for Geiser, the biggest impact is harder to measure – it’s about trust.
“In one school, a group of parents wanted to speak to the police after a local incident, but didn’t know how. The coordinator made it happen – in the school, a place they felt safe. That conversation built understanding and confidence that wouldn’t have happened elsewhere.”
Built to last
What sets Gothenburg’s model apart is its sustainability. Unlike many social initiatives that rely on short-term funding or pilot status, School as an Arena isn’t just a project, it’s a framework built into the city’s long-term strategy and structure. It’s cross-sectoral by design, bringing together funding and support from housing companies, schools, associations and multiple city departments.
They don’t want to go to the moon – they just want a future. A job, a voice, a space to belong.
“This isn’t a one-off,” says Geiser. “It’s not a charity project. It’s a shared responsibility.”
And that shared approach makes the system more resilient. If one partner is unable to deliver a specific activity, others step in. meanwhile, the coordinator acts as a hub – ensuring continuity, balance and responsiveness.
“That’s the beauty of it,” says Geiser. “No one actor has to do everything. But together, we can do something truly transformative.”
Interest from abroad
Word of Gothenburg’s approach is spreading fast. Through Eurocities and other networks, city delegations from Oslo, Ghent, Turku, Kiel, Helsinki and beyond have visited to learn more. Even researchers from Japan have made the journey to see how it works.
“What they’re most curious about,” Geiser explains, “is how we manage to bring all these different sectors together – and how we keep the focus on children’s actual needs, not what adults think they need.”
To support this international interest, Gothenburg has hosted national conferences and continues to share its working method openly, with a view to inspiring similar models elsewhere.
Slow work, lasting change
Of course, there have been challenges. One is the risk of adults designing activities for children instead of with them. Another is maintaining participation over time – student councils and advisory boards only work if they lead to real change. And then there’s the complexity of managing diverse partners with different goals and structures.
But Geiser says the solution is simple, if not always easy: “Keep listening, keep adapting and build relationships over time.”
Rather than flashy success stories or quick wins, the ultimate goal is an enduring, meaningful transformation across the city. “We want these children to grow up knowing they’re part of Gothenburg, part of Sweden. That they matter. That they can shape their own lives.”
It’s not about delivering activities and hoping they’re liked. It’s about listening, adapting and building trust – together.
A model for the future?
With political backing and renewed funding, School as an Arena plans to expand to at least three more schools in the coming years. But the team is also clear about the limitations.
“This initiative alone can’t fix segregation,” says Geiser. “But it can make the best possible use of the resources we have – and give people the tools to drive change from the ground up.”
And in a city where the challenges are significant, that matters.
“Just seeing people work together – across departments, sectors, communities – that alone is inspiring,” he says. “It shows what’s possible when we stop working in silos and start working side by side.”
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The city of Gothenburg’s ‘School as an Arena’ project is shortlisted in the ‘Inspiring City’ initiative category at the Eurocities Awards 2025. This year, for the first time, Eurocities member cities are involved in selecting the winners of the awards. Our members can now vote to choose the best city hero and the best city initiative.
You can view the full awards shortlist here.
Results will be announced on Thursday 5 June at Eurocities 2025 Braga.
