Ican

When
2008 - 2011
Client
Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment
Assignment
Develop a public campaign around the policy programme ‘Everyone Takes Part’ (‘Iedereen Doet Mee’). The campaign’s goal is to help 200,000 people with a significant disadvantage to find work. The target group comprises over-45s, (non-Western) foreigners, women, partially disabled and the long-term unemployed.

Background
The communication surrounding the action plan Everyone Takes Part from the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment is focused on changing society’s mindset – namely that it is normal for everyone to work until they are 65; preferably in a paid position, and if this is not possible, as a volunteer or carer.

There are many prejudices about people on the social periphery and, as a result, this group often suffers from a negative self-image. These prejudices need to be overcome and changed into a positive image – an image of opportunities.

The most important goal is that people who are not now participating will soon do just that. This calls for employers, implementation bodies and schools to actively apply themselves. But action alone is not enough; their actions must also have an effect.

Campagne
BKB developed the Ican campaign together with advertising agency THEY.

Ican is all about people’s qualities. That’s why it is focused on your talents and not your shortcomings. Because you can often do more than you think.

Examples of bus shelter adverts

Everyone can do something that is useful on the labour market, something that you may not even realise. For example, a mother whose six children have left home may find work making desserts in her favourite restaurant, or apply her experience of running a large household to a position as manager of a busy department. It is exactly these things you don’t even think about that can help you get off to a new start. Once you recognise that, you can get more out of yourself and are better able to tell potential employers what you can offer them.

But Ican is also directed at employers, intermediaries, government and educational bodies. After all, they can also look at themselves, their questions and their answers in a different way: thinking from the point of view of solutions instead of problems; focusing on what is possible, instead of what isn’t.

Ican aims to encourage people to think differently about work, so that a large collective problem can be talked about individually.

Multimedia
TV commercials, bus shelter posters, adverts in the newspaper and tram: a broad range of tools has been developed for the Ican campaign. In them, reference is usually made to ikkan.nl, a website for jobseekers, intermediaries and employers.
Examples of full-page adverts

Evenementen
BKB is organising a number of events in conjunction with the Ican campaign.

In a series of ‘Regional Employment Summits’ (‘Regiowerktops’) from Groningen to Terneuzen, entrepreneurs and government and educational bodies make agreements about how they can best align the supply and demand in the regional labour market.

At the meeting entitled ‘The Region Works!’ the different regions inform each other of interesting projects and arrangements. This provides inspiration for the regions and helps them understand better what the crucial conditions are for success.

At the national Talent 45+ Conference (Conferentie Talent 45+) labour intermediaries shared their knowledge and experience in order to help more talented over-45s to find work.

Left: The women from Dress for Success always have ‘something appropriate’ for jobseekers to wear. Right: State Secretary Aboutaleb at the close of the 45+ Conference (Conferentie 45+).

At seven regional meetings about the Participation Budget local council employees received information and an explanation of this new law. The Participation Budget combines the budgets for reintegration, naturalisation and adult education in one budget. Local council employees who work in the relevant policy areas play the lead role in implementing the Participation Budget. What does the law mean for their council? And how can they best prepare themselves for it?

Would you like to know more about this project?
Then please get in touch with Willem Dudok.