Denmark: 10.3 million dollars spent on integration projects in Vollsmose ghetto

Courses in ‘getting up in the morning’ and ‘how to handle garbage’

I have reported about the Muslim ghetto Vollsmose several times: Denmark: No comprehensive car insurance in Muslim area -- too many burned cars; Denmark: More Muslim violence against non-Muslims; Danish police: Immigrant criminals target Danes to make them move out of the (Muslim) area; and Denmark: Iranian-born leader of small Christian church attacked for displaying cross.

The Danish newspaper BT has scrutinized the budget for integration in Vollsmose. Since 2008, 58,482,279 kr. (10.3 million USD / 7,9 million Euros) has been spent on the following. Translated from BT, February 5, 2012: “Vollsmose gilded with millions of kroner. - But the problems continue...":

Free buses and concerts - 2,844,402 kr. (500,000 USD) An extra pool of money was created to support new ideas. The funds has been spent on free bus service in the area, job counseling, a choir, celebrations and concerts.

Coaching - 280,250 kr (50,000 USD)
The so-called ABCD project seeks to get residents to become aware of their own qualifications, a kind of coaching.

Consultants - 6,040,692 kr (1,000,000 USD)
Three resident advisers, including former parliamentary politician Asmaa Abdol Hamid (who says that the Quran guides her in every aspect of life and who rejects equality between the sexes), have been hired to keep track of the many projects that are started in the district.

Project management - 1,213,758 kr (210,000 USD)
There are so many associations and networks in Vollsmose that a global network is needed to keep track of them.

Improved image - 11,421,411 kr (2,000,000 USD)
Establishment of Media House Vollsmose that publishes its own weekly newspaper in order to create a more positive image of Vollsmose. The articles is concentrating on positive stories from the area, says the Media House.

Multicultural offer - 3,339,673 kr (585,000 USD)
In 2007 it was estimated that young people with multicultural background lacked cultural offerings. This is why a cultural center has been created in the area.

Internship - 2,000,000 kr (350,000 USD)
To get more people to work, unemployed people have been given internships at a local caretaker. One resident has subsequently gotten a permanent job as a result of this project.

Marketing - 4,385,000 kr (770,000 USD)
A marketing project has been launched to attract educational institutions and businesses to the district.

Special expenses - 9,596,542 kr (1,700,000 USD)
This money goes to the operation of the area’s nine housing associations and three housing organizations. The money goes to short courses, machine procurement, combating vandalism and longer opening hours at recycling centers.

Administration - 3,821,641 kr (670,000 USD)
Launching the many projects costs money in itself. This is because a consultant company was hired to do it, and because it costs money to track how the money is spent.

Cleanup - 2,500,000 kr (440,000 USD)
Money to the Project Youth Team primarily goes to paying the young people who are hired to remove garbage and waste lying around in the district.

Environmental awareness - 1,415,866 kr (250,000 USD)
This project aims to educate residents to understand how to handle waste, how to save water, heat and electricity. 35 immigrant women have received this education.

Waking up in the morning 1,593,969 kr (280,000 USD)
To reduce absenteeism in schools in the area, Project Alarm Clock was created. Now school teachers call students who have not appeared in school.

Role models - 1,860,853 kr. (325,000 USD)
Young2Young is a project that aims to get the well-functioning youth to help other young people to get part-time jobs.

Festival - 1,630,963 kr. (285,000 USD)
This money is allocated to the annual festival in the area. In 2011, Julie Berthelsen, Johnson and the rapper U$0 gave a concert, and the hosts were the famous Danish actors Robert Hansen and Camilla Ottesen.

Coordination - 2,435,111 kr (425,000 USD)
To ensure maximum cooperation between the many projects, a separate consultant was hired to coordinate them.

Street work - 1,491,500 kr (260,000 USD)
To reach the young people who hang out on the street, people have been hired to walk around in the area and tell them about the district’s various offerings.

Evaluation - 610,645 kr (105,000 USD)
As part of the master plan, just over half a million kroner has been allocated to evaluate the results.

Total bill: 58,482,279 kr. (10,280,979.78 USD)

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