Veien Tilbake

Veien Tilbake is a Norwegian non-profit organisation (ideell organisasjon) that runs a drug-free meeting place and activity programme. It uses physical activity as a tool to build social arenas and a sense of mastery, offering group training, climbing, yoga, nature trips and cycling, along with conversation groups and social meetings.

Its participants include people who have been excluded from society for reasons such as drug use or criminal background, and many of its staff have their own experience of drugs, crime or being a relative of someone affected. Participation is open to people who want to use the organisation to stay drug-free, for example by joining group activities or volunteering in its Road Safety project.

Projects include Damegruppa, a group for women with drug and/or prison backgrounds; Natur & Fjell, nature-based activities open regardless of physical fitness; Road Safety, where participants work as safety stewards at cycling races across Norway from April to October; and Mestringsreisen, an annual cycling expedition of 10 or 21 days that follows months of training. The organisation was founded in 2014 and is based in Drammen. It reports more than 500 participants and 20+ full-time equivalent positions.

Product: Group physical activities, cycling expeditions, nature programmes and peer social groups for people recovering from drug use or imprisonment