Breaking the cycle of unemployment can be very difficult for young, disadvantaged people on the verge of social exclusion. This is especially true when they lack the qualifications for the jobs that they are interested in.

This was Matti’s problem. At risk of social exclusion and without much hope of getting a job, he found it difficult to break into a line of work he found fulfilling, where he could apply his skills.

Luckily, Matti took part in the European Social Fund backed ‘Preppaamo 2’ project, created by the Selmu ry Live Music Association in Seinäjoki, Finland. The project’s goal was to promote opportunities for employment in the events and culture sector for young jobseekers.

The project created personalised pathways for Matti (and more than 70 other disadvantaged, young people) into culture sector jobs. This approach entailed creating opportunities for work experience. Matti explains, ‘I got to try out a variety of projects and assignments.’

Specifically, Preppaamo 2 provided Matti – and the other participants – with a variety of ‘work experiments’ that were assigned to each participant, based on their specific needs and personal objectives.

These experiments were real projects (provided by Selmu ry and other organisations), accompanied by training courses and community-based activities to advance each person’s search for work. The participants also had the opportunity to design and complete their own projects, with guidance from Preppaamo 2.

Apart from the practical support, Matti valued the project’s ethos and collaborative approach: ‘[There was a] good team spirit and the instructors could talk just about everything.’ The project instructors were there to help Matti and the other young participants to find employment by first including them in a team, making them feel valued, and more self-confident.

After his participation in the project, Matti’s future became clearer, and he was able to find a vocational job in the culture-sector. Because of the valuable work experience, contacts, and training gained through Preppaamo 2, Matti broke out of the cycle of unemployment.