Education and Social Integration

Young people’s education, innovation skills and critical minds will determine whether society finds innovative solutions to complex sustainability challenges, such as climate change, plastic waste and increasing migration. Furthermore, by facilitating access to employment and, in turn, a good living standard, good quality education is a crucial enabler for integrating underprivileged and marginalized people into society.

However, according to a report by the UNESCO Institute of Statistics, 258 million children and youth do not have access to education. This number includes 59 million children of primary school age, 62 million children of lower secondary school age, and 138 million children of upper secondary school age.

Borealis, therefore, created Growing Talent, a program that includes a wide range of projects across Europe and beyond.

The Challenge

258 Million

children and youth do not have access to education

This includes around 59 million children of primary school age, 62 million children of lower secondary school age, and 138 million children of upper secondary age. This is due to low public financing, poverty, war, and other socio-economic factors.
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118 Million

school aged females are out of school globally

Gender gaps exist within education, as 2/3 of female adults globally lack basic literacy and numeracy skills. This weakens the stability and resilience of a nation and impairs global development.
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Only 30 %

of all global researchers are women

Women are less likely to study STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) subjects as higher education. This under-representation has consequences to finding solutions to global challenges and limits female leadership in science-driven companies.
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The Growing Talent Program

Supporting young talent and the integration of marginalized people

Through its Growing Talent program Borealis supports projects across different regions. Education and social integration are at the core of Growing Talent, which aims to:

Provide access to good quality education for all
Support integration of socially marginalized people and groups
Nurture skill sets needed to solve today's and future sustainability challenges
Create awareness for and strengthen competences regarding sustainability
Nurture interest in natural sciences & technology

Our Achievements Since the Establishment of the Borealis Social Fund in 2007

1100000

+ People

Since 2007, Growing Talent has reached more than one million people.
35

Partnerships

Since 2007, Growing Talent has partnered with 35 organizations.
10

Countries

Since 2007, Growing Talent has supported projects in almost 10 countries across three continents.