promoting active inclusion for young homeless people
DESCRIPTION
Presentation given by Brigita Jankauskaite, Vilnius Caritas (LT) at the 2013 FEANTSA conference, "Investing in young people to prevent a lost generation: policy and practice in addressing youth homelessness" http://feantsa.org/spip.php?article1596&lang=enTRANSCRIPT
Investing in young people to prevent a lost generation in Europe:
key policy and practice in addressing youth homelessness
8th November 2013, Prague, Czech Republic
Craft training centre
of Vilnius Caritas
Promoting active inclusion for
young homeless people – sharing the practice
By Brigita Jankauskaitė
Plan of my presentation
About organization – purpose, targert group
Program, which promote active inclusion (the basics of
our work with youth)
Principles of center, which leads to empowerment of
youngsters
Results or what is for us inclusion into society
Craft training center is a part of Vilnius Archdiocesan Caritas and
has been working more then 10 years.
It works for youth from a high-risk social group and provides
social, educational and psychological help and support.
The basic aim of Craft training center is to improve integration of
young people into society by developing employment and social
competencies.
Youngsters who come from street and have no place to live we
provide with temporary place at Youth house, which we opened in
2006.
Each year we support around 15 young people, in 2012 we
provided with help 17 youngsters.
Short view of centre
Specifics of target group (who are those homeless)
16 -25 years age young people from socially affected environment:
Street youth (young people who do not have a living place, ended the
relationship with family, having many difficulties, possible addiction).
Anti-social, aggressive, possessing problems in the community
behavior
Having a criminal record
After rehabilitation programs (drugs, alcohol and etc.), without the
skills to live independently
Dropped out of the formal education system or having learning
difficulties
Abandonment, neglect and violence of the family
Program of center, which promote active inclusion
Main tasks:
Attract young people to come to center,
Assure basic needs (living, food, hygiene, community)
Clear the real situation of young people
Participation in activities (crafts, social, psychological assistance, non
formal education and etc.)
Craft training
Main purpose – to acquire
working skills
To come to training at time
To do, what it is said to do
Not to leave without
finnishing the job
Learn to work in team
Learn basic skills of craft –
cook, carpener or laundress
Social and psychological assistance
Consultations of social worker
and psychologist
Group consultation once a week
(trainings in communication, conflict
resolution skills, giving the space to
learn new ways of behavior,
adjusting the way of thinking and
behavior)
“Hidden consultations”
Nonformal education
Experiential outdoor training
Summer job and recreation camp
Sports (basketball)
Table tennis
Volunteering projects
Participation in community fests
Building and keeping relations
trough tea and coffee
Cooking with volunteers
Youth house – temporary home for
youngsters
Possibility to leave the street life and develop social skills in
the home environment.
Safe place to stay
Acquire social skills, learn how to manage their life, perform
everyday tasks, plan finances and so on.
Principles which leads to empowerment of youngsters
1) Experience of different attitude towards them, more accepting relation comparing what they experience before (at home, in schools, orphans homes, street and etc. )
2) The conditions of life has changed, they get quality of life – basic needs (good, shower, you have your own space), community where they feel safe.
3) Acceptance by social and youth workers, volunteers, psychologist, craft teachers is very important for personal growth and for starting to believe that I can manage in life.
4) Building a trust relation with youth, when you can count on the worker, trust to talk about problems, difficulties and together to set adequate goals what are possible to achieve.
Principles which leads to empowerment of youngsters
5) Being in contact
6) Clear borders to know what behavior is accepted and what is not.
7) New, stable contacts, leaving old friends in the past.
8) Experience of success
9) Learning by working
10) Providing with help and support when the youngster leaves the center
Results or what is for us inclusion into society
Change in behavior
Becoming more mature
Appearing dreams and plans for future
Capability to archive goals
Decreases destructive behavior
Capability to build and maintain relations
Back to school or work
Capability to live on your own (have job, pay taxes and etc.)
Thank you for attention