PeopleUknow Fritid – The Junior Club

In Norway, free after-school provision ends when children are around ten, and many go home to an empty house where they spend the afternoon alone with a screen until their parents return. The Junior Club (Juniorklubben) in Trondheim gives children aged nine to twelve somewhere free to go after school, with caring adults, a hot meal and friends. Kavli Trust is now providing NOK 500,000 (£40 150) to get the club started.

About the project

The Junior Club is a free after-school club for children aged nine to twelve. It is based in premises rented from a local sailing club, a three-minute walk from Ila School in Trondheim, so children can head straight there when lessons finish. The club is built around four areas: food and health, arts and culture, physical activity and play, and social skills and having a say. Children cook alongside the adults and eat together at a phone-free table. There are no requirements for kit, experience or regular attendance, and the children help decide the menu and activities. A high ratio of adults, daily logs and a short debrief after every club day help staff spot early on who is being left out. Partners include the local school, a table tennis club and a nearby care home, where the children will meet older residents. The pilot has 24 places and aims to reach 75 to 100 children a year. The long-term goal is a model that can be used in other parts of Norway.

How will Kavli Trust’s funding be used

Kavli Trust’s funding covers the start-up of the Junior Club: caring adults and professional leadership, kitchen equipment and food for the club’s shared meals, materials for arts, culture and physical activity, and the rent for its premises. The funding gives the charity a secure foundation for its first two years.

About the organisation

PeopleUknow Fritid is a Norwegian non-profit association based in Trondheim, set up in 2026 to develop and run the Junior Club. It is chaired by Marianne Johnsen. Alongside the club itself, the charity is developing a model that allows after-school clubs without public funding to get started, generate their own income and, over time, become self-sustaining. The Norwegian foundation Sparebankstiftelsen SMN is among its funders. This is the first time PeopleUknow Fritid has received funding from Kavli Trust.