Kavli Trust continues its support for Guttas Campus (a Norwegian learning and mentoring programme for boys) with a total of three million Norwegian kroner. Half of this will go to Oslo, while the other half will ensure that boys in Vestland county also have access to the programme next year.

About the project

Kavli Trust continues as a partner of Guttas Campus, contributing NOK 1.5 million towards running the programme for 50 boys in Oslo in 2020.

In addition, Guttas Campus has been awarded NOK 1.5 million to expand the programme and establish it in Vestland county in Norway.

– Kavli Trust is very pleased to continue supporting this initiative. It is impressive to see the significant progress the boys make in a short period during the learning camps. We now also want to explore the longer-term impact and how the mentoring scheme works, says Inger Elise Iversen, CEO of Kavli Trust.

She refers to the excellent results from the two learning camps held in 2018 and 2019.

– Guttas Campus has also received high praise from leading experts in the field and has successfully engaged municipalities in both Vestland county and Oslo. This provides a very strong foundation for scaling the programme, adds Iversen.

– We have long wished to expand the opportunity for boys in Vestland county to take part in a learning camp in addition to Oslo. With the extended support from Kavli Trust, Guttas Campus Cohort 2020 in Vestland county has become a reality! We are proud and grateful that Kavli Trust recognises the value of Guttas Campus and is helping us to spread the concept, says Omar Mekki, CEO of Guttas Campus.

Participating municipalities cover half of the cost per boy, while Guttas Campus and its supporters fund the remainder. Kavli Trust also helped finance this year’s cohort in Oslo with NOK 1.5 million.

In 2020, a total of 50 boys will be offered an intensive learning camp and mentoring programme in Vestland county. Kavli Trust and the Trond Mohn Foundation will finance half of the costs, with the participating municipalities in Vestland county covering the remainder.

About Guttas Campus

• Guttas Campus is a programme for boys in Year 10 who want to improve their reading, writing and numeracy skills before progressing to upper secondary education.
• The programme consists of a thirteen-day intensive learning camp, followed by 18 months of close, structured follow-up with a dedicated mentor.
• Personal and social development form an integral part of the camp timetable.
• The aim is to provide the boys with a significant learning boost, strengthening them academically and personally ahead of Year 11 and upper secondary education.
• Guttas Campus was established in 2017 and developed by Omar Mekki, child psychologist Magne Raundalen, Per Tronsmo and Marco Elsafadi. The initiative was inspired by the Danish Drengeakademiet (The Boys’ Academy).
• The programme has been developed in collaboration with the Eivind Astrup Allmennyttige Foundation.

Guttas Campus Project Group

• Omar Mekki, Managing Director, with extensive experience as a teacher and headteacher within the public education system.
• Per Tronsmo, with experience in the implementation of national education policy at central government level, including the Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training.
• Magne Raundalen, child and adolescent psychologist.
• Marco Elsafadi, with long-standing experience working with young people; a highly skilled relationship-focused practitioner, passionate advocate and elite athlete.
• Kristian Hulmose Nørgaard (The Løkke Foundation), who has contributed in various roles to numerous learning camps in Denmark.
• Christina Berman, Head of Administration, with extensive experience in public-sector project management.
• Emad Salha, Head of Mentoring, with experience working with young people; speaker and committed advocate.
• Per Øyvind Hammerstad, Programme Director, with broad experience as a teacher and headteacher.