It’s not easy being a young person today. They suffer from climate anxiety, struggle to find housing and worry about making the right choice of career. In fact, roughly 40 percent of young people in the Netherlands are uncertain about the future. It is precisely for this reason that RGF Connect – GOALS was created, the program's aim being to bridge socioeconomic gaps among young people, from both a personal and professional perspective.

RGF Connect is an international program that focuses on specific target groups who, for whatever reason, have difficulty finding jobs in today's labor market”, explains Jannette van Blitterswijk (manager inclusive labor market at USG Restart, part of RGF Staffing in the Netherlands). “In the Netherlands, our focus is on young people, and this program has been given the name GOALS. As a sustainable HR service provider, we can really make a difference for this target group. In 2023, we put our money where our mouth is and we welcomed our initial participants. Making an actual impact on society is in line with RGF Staffing's overall strategy.”

For participant Justice, it was a no-brainer. “There are so many opportunities and directions in the job market, I couldn't see the forest for the trees. I also wanted to be the best version of myself, both physically and mentally. I wanted answers to questions like: where do my strengths lie? What energizes me? And, how should I handle money? When I heard about the RGF Connect – GOALS program, I immediately felt excited.”

Reactivating young people

RGF Connect – GOALS consists of four main themes that are covered in depth over a sixteen-week period: Fit GOALS, Money GOALS, Life GOALS and My GOALS. “We developed this method based on several coaching programs within RGF Staffing and insights from our Gen-Z focus group”, says Nancy Bennenk (mobility and job coach at RGF Staffing). “The four themes focus on reactivating young people who are socioeconomically disadvantaged in society. This includes a variety of relevant themes. Such as feeling good about yourself, getting your finances in order, eating healthily, building an exercise routine and mapping out a career path. Almost every participant who signed up at the start of the program were having difficulties finding a good job and making the move to independent living. Depending on a participant’s personal learning goals, we put together a development plan for each individual.” 

“Get to the core of yourself”

Both individually and in groups, the young people from the Almere region take part in workshops, inspiration sessions, sports activities and they converse with relevant people from their chosen field of work. For example, the young people play a VR game in which they have to defuse a bomb by working closely together, and they work, for example, on mood boards to visualize their learning goals. “And therein lies the common denominator of the course”, Nancy explains. “Get to the core of yourself. The young people discover where their talents lie and how they can make the most of their talents both personally and professionally.”

Learning from mistakes

According to Justice, the method is paying off. “The four main themes correspond nicely with the learning goals I had written down for myself. I learned that in order to get my life on track, I have to balance different aspects of my life: health, job, finances and living situation. And that is where my challenge lies. My coaches and the inspirational guest speakers at the workshops made me realize that I first have to take a good look at how I function as a person. In the past, for example, I wanted to do everything perfectly, but it simply doesn't work like that. It’s much healthier to make mistakes and learn from them.”

A speck on the horizon

Learning from past mistakes is often the first step towards a more stable life for many young people. Working with the coaches, they identify the ‘speck on the horizon’, and the steps they need to take to get there. “During the process, the bigger picture emerged: I still have a long way to go, but step by step I'm going to succeed. I found a new job in merchandising, I started to keep an eye on my nutrition, exercise more often than before and I now reflect on myself much more often in order to identify areas for improvement,” Justice says.

Turning your dream into your job

The workshop that impressed Justice the most? “The one by street artist Frankey. We drew faces and characters on everyday objects, to look at ordinary things in life with a different perspective.” The street artist turned his hobby into his job and sells his art from his own studio in Amsterdam and that left a great impression on the young people. His advice: “Dreaming is okay, because you can turn your dream into your job.”

Guidance and coaching

During the final six weeks of the RGF Connect – GOALS program, the ‘buddy program’ starts. “Participants are paired with a fellow coach from RGF Staffing, focusing on the participant's personality and career path”, says Van Blitterswijk. “Once a week, the participant and coach meet to discuss the participant’s learning goals. As a participant's buddy, for example, you try to make his or her goals as tangible as possible. A lot of thought is put into this, because one-to-one we can gain much more ground than in groups.” 

Positive feeling

Justice's participation in the program did not go unseen by his family. “My parents were excited when they heard I had enrolled. And that positive feeling now extends to everything I do.”

The first RGF Connect – GOALS program took place in the municipality of Almere, but of course the target group extends far beyond Almere. All over the Netherlands there are young people who feel disadvantaged in society and need the right guidance and coaching. That’s why RGF Connect – GOALS will be launched in other Dutch cities in the near future, enabling even more young people to sign up.