Omega works with new Blue Cross project
Published: 23.12.09 (Updated: 13.12.11)
Instead of sending out Christmas presents to our employees, Omega has for the last three years supported a project helping street children in Murmansk. Now, we have entered into an agreement with Blue Cross to support their "Kompasset" project for the next three years.
PSYCHOLOGISTS: Beate Bø and Anja Therese Bakke are psychologists at the Kompasset centre.
Kompasset, "the Compass" (previously TUBA) is a treatment centre for people between 14 and 35 years old who have grown up in families with alcohol or other intoxicant abuse. Anyone can use Kompasset without a doctor’s referral and without having to pay for treatment, and the first Norwegian centre opened in Bergen in October 2009. The project was started by the Danish Blue Cross in 1997, and the establishment has made visible the need for this type of treatment offer. In Denmark, there are already ten centres around the country. Blue Cross in Norway plans to open centres in Sandnes and Trondheim to complement Bergen, and other cities are also being assessed.
Low threshold
“Young people who have grown up in a home with alcohol or other intoxicant abuse, and who have experienced the uncertainty, disloyalty and having to take responsibility too early, often struggle with life later on. Common problems are low self-esteem, high demands for themselves that can not be met, and a feeling of being different,” explains Georg Kayser, project coordinator for Kompasset.
Experiences tell Kompasset that their target group want to create their own identity and platform independently from their parents, which makes it important to have help centres like TUBA with a low threshold to visit and no need for referrals from a doctor, psychologist or social security.
“Kompasset is also free of charge for the users. Generally, young people can not afford costly therapy, and that especially applies to this group as they may not have any economic support from their families,” Kayser adds.
Help and therapy
Illustration photo.
Close to Nygårdshøyden, where there is a yearly influx of university students, Beate Bø and Anja Therese Bakke have started to meet with the first users of the Kompasset centre.
“It is important that we exist outside the traditional institutions, particularly because we hope to reach those who do not actively seek out help. You can show up at our office and just talk to us without needing a referral from a doctor or psychologist,” Bakke tells us.
As Kompasset in Bergen get more users, they can also start offering group therapy. This reinforces the users’ feeling that there are more people in the same situation as they are.
“In Denmark, we experienced that offering therapy to people in this age group has a very positive effect. They want to make something of their lives, they are motivated and have plenty of resources, so their lives can end up closer to what they wish for after having been through therapy for a while. They can also use Kompasset for as long as they want to, which differs from other treatment offers,” Kayser explains.
Omega have made an agreement to support the project for the next three years, and you can read regular updates from Bergen and the other Kompasset locations on InsideOmega.
We wish Beate, Anja Therese and the rest of Blue Cross the best of luck!
What is Kompasset?
- TUBA is an acronym for “Terapi og rådgivning til Unge og voksne Barn av rusAvhengige”. TUBA was renamed "Kompasset" in 2011
- Aimed at teenagers and young adults
- Offers treatment for young people who are victims of alcohol or other intoxicant abuse by their parents
- Started by the Danish Blue Cross in 1997
- First Norwegian centre in 2009
- Omega supports the TUBA project with 1 million NOK over three years