IT-Guide
– en social innovation

SDG 1: No  Poverty. Most young immigrants arriving  in Sweden have no economic resources.  By joining IT-Guide, they get paid to pro vide technical support to the seniors and  simultaneously get introduced to their  first job and inspired to continue their  studies. 

SDG 3: Good  Health and Well-being. By introducing  young immigrants to Swedish society and  helping them understand the society they  live in, we help improve their well-being  and mental health. This contribution also  has a wider impact, as the positive effects  tend to spread to the young immigrants’  families. 

SDG 4: Quality Education in several ways. When new immigrants  join, they receive 20 hours of training  where they learn to work together in  teams dealing with technical challenges.  Moreover, once they start as technology  guides, they often want to learn more  after every coaching session to be able to  help the seniors with their technical prob lems. The interaction between the elderly  and the young immigrant includes a  natural language component as well. As a  long term impact, many of the guides get  motivated to pursue a career in tech and  take initiatives to hold their own courses not only to seniors but also to other immi grants in their own language. 

SDG 5: Fifty percent of the immigrants with  whom IT-Guide works are girls. We  ensure an equal gender representation  in everything we do, from recruitment  to coaching. Once new female guides  are recruited, it is usually their first job  opportunity in life. Moreover, as the  genders are usually strictly separated in their home countries, this is also often the  first time the boys and girls get to work  together in groups. The girls who are very  active in IT-Guide as team leaders and  coaches for other guides offer valuable  inspiration to other immigrant women,  encouraging those who have never been  interested in IT technology to learn more  about it.

Goal 8: Decent  Work and Economic Growth. When the  young immigrants are new in Sweden,  they need motivation to educate them selves, which can be very difficult. By  providing them with a job and a purpose,  their motivation to study increases. Our  goal is for all guides to complete high  school, which significantly improves their  chances of finding employment.

SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities is at the very  core of what we do. We want all people to  learn and be included in society through  improved digital literacy. By learning  more, both the IT-Guides and the elderly  gain a better understanding of society.  Central to this goal is also that IT-Guide  serves as a meeting place for two groups  of people that would otherwise not  meet. By helping the immigrants earn an  income, their economic inclusion is also  improved.  

SDG 16: Peace, Justice  and Strong Institutions in two ways. By training seniors, we increase their  participation and access to information  available online. In addition, the coaching  gives the immigrants a chance to talk to  seniors and gain information from them  about how various things work in Swedish society.

* Integration Solution Report, SDSN Northern Europe Publication 2018:1