Description
According to UNICEF research Lithuanian children are the most unhappy in Europe. Bullying and suicidal trends are the most distinctly expressed features among other issues. The situation may be improved by providing comprehensive emotional support to children and youth, but the quality and capacity of support currently available is of insufficient level. Lack of funding to ensure quality supervision of services also adds up to the overall picture. The project aims at strengthening capacity of organizations providing emotional support for children and youth, including administrative capacity building and diversification of funds. Our objectives include evaluation of quality of emotional support provided for children and youth, creation of efficient volunteer recruitment and training system. This would allow ensuring sustainable expansion of voluntary network and high quality of emotional support for children and youth. Usage and popularity of support provided by internet shall also be fostered thus allowing introducing new methods of fundraising. Our target groups are children and youth at risk, including victims of domestic violence and volunteers.
Summary of project results
The project idea and necessity was based on the monitoring and research based knowledge, that children in Lithuania are the most unhappy ones among all European countries analysed. Subsequently the level of suicides among children and youngsters are the highest in Europe. This highly disturbing situation is insufficiently addressed by state authorities, therefore NGOs try fill the gap by providing various emotional and psychological support services, implement public campaigns and advocate for the change in legislation and availability of state supported aid. The key problem Children’s line was addressing with this project is insufficient quality of emotional support for youth and children as well as the lack of funding to ensure quality supervision in the future. The main project aim was to strengthen the capacity of organizations providing emotional support for children and youth, including administrative capacity building and diversification of funds. In order to achieve the set goal project promoter has completed the following tasks: a) evaluated the quality of emotional support that is provided for children and youth; b) created efficient volunteers attraction and trainings system in order to ensure sustainable expansion of voluntary network and high quality of emotional support for children and youth; c) increased the usability and popularity of support provided by internet; d) improved the administrative capacity and applied new methods of fundraising. The project fostered active citizenship by promoting volunteering, as well as strengthened capacity of NGO and promoted enabling environment for the sector through organising capacity building seminars for NGOs. Project target groups were children and youth at risk, including victims of domestic violence, volunteers, employees of project promoter and its partners. Beneficiaries of the project: other NGO, society.
Summary of bilateral results