A boss from one of biggest insurance companies in Denmark took four former criminals aged 17 to 21 to the northern part of Spain for a walk of 120 kilometers.
Rejsen mod et bedre liv (The journey towards a better life - article in Danish), BerlingskeThey were walking the old pilgrim route called
The way of St. James or El Camino de Santiago in Spanish.
If they could walk those 120 kilometers with their future boss, they would get a job offer. It was something for something. A fifth youth did no attend the hike, because he did a crime after being released and before they started.
This approach like so many others are a part of a program called
High Five. In Denmark they like here in Sweden they have a low rate of unemployment. They have tried to get the elderlies back in the workspace, but when they didn't get enough it was easy to look at those who had made some bad choices and push them back in work. 70% of those, who enters the program, end up working in a normal job.
There is no limit on what kind of crimes they have done when it comes to entering the program. Those four, who went on this hike was sentenced for stabbing, arson, theft and violences.
When they finished the hike they were offered parttime jobs in the in the insurance company, but also help with their home work so they could pass high school. The hardest part of their journey was about to begin.
I know that our culture in Sweden as well in Denmark are very far from yours. Could you see a boss from your local city earning about 1 million dollars hike 120 kilometers with 4 newly released prisoners from your local juvie?
