Work Training Brought Life to Props During This Year’s Scary Walk
On Friday evening, October 31st, 650 young people gathered for the year’s scary walk in the City Park and the secret underground chamber. This represented an increase of 200 participants from the previous year – an evening focused on a creepy atmosphere, creative recycling, and meaningful participation.
Creating Spooky Experiences Through Collaboration
As darkness fell over the City Park and the underground chamber’s gates opened, costumed actors and props created by participants from Återbruk (a municipal work training program) awaited the visitors. Last year’s participants had commented that the experience wasn’t scary enough, so this year’s organizers took that feedback to heart.
”Thanks to Återbruk, we could level up and create truly scary environments in a way we otherwise never could have done,” says Anna Liljenby, city life coordinator at Borås & Co, who project managed the scary walk.
Meaningful Work and Creative Expression
Anders Smedberg, a supervisor at the program, highlighted the project’s impact on participants:
”The best part was seeing how the guys lit up. They almost skipped into the workshop and were incredibly motivated. I always talk about working for the City of Borås and our participants, and here it became extra clear that we’re part of something bigger,” he said.
Creative Prop Making
Participants Joachim Engen and Robin Bromander shared their creative process:
”We used simple wooden boards to create three-dimensional gravestones. We painted, built frames, and wrote names we invented,” Joachim explained.
”Transforming mannequins into monsters was the most fun. But the most unexpected material I used was probably wood glue on mirrors, which became transparent when it dried and created a ghostly effect,” Robin added.
A Broader Purpose
The scary walk was conducted as part of ”The Dream of Borås” project, aimed at developing the city center and increasing safety and enjoyment for young people.
The collaboration not only created an engaging experience for participants but also provided meaningful work training and creative outlet for the Återbruk program participants.
