Description
This project aims to promote democratic values, the protection of minority rights, especially children and youth at risk in the region of Porto, along with their families, mostly in social exclusion. The project will accompany children and youth living in violent contexts and carry out awareness-raising activities among young people to help them solve their problems without resorting to violence. The project approach also includes the monitoring of families, and features innovative support groups aimed at indirect victims – not only the direct victims of violence – in the context of the work carried out with young people and their families. The project will also strive to stimulate and strengthen partnerships between entities, in order to improve the effectiveness of NGO intervention on this issue.
Summary of project results
According to the Evaluation Report of the Portuguese network of Commissions for Protection of Children and Youth, 74,734 situations of danger were identified in 2013. It is in the school context that the first violent behaviors tend to arise among young people. A primary intervention in this problem is crucial because the peak of violence generally occurs among 10 to 21 year-olds. This problem is more acute among youths at risk or living in violent families or neighborhoods. It is crucial that young people are able to develop problem-solving strategies and a policy of non-violence, which should be achieved through awareness raising and social assistance actions. 40 families involving 71 under age children were intensely accompanied by the project while 4 awareness raising actions, of 7 sessions each, were organised and reached 69 individuals. Furthermore, 2 groups of indirect victims of violence were created (12 children in total), and 4 working sessions took place for each group. The number of accompanied children was below the pre-set target for the project but this was compensated with other children being included by the awareness-raising actions, which surpassing the objectives. Regarding capacity-building, the NGO considers that the main gain was the partnership with public institutions created by the project which is sustainable and allows the NGO to participate in decision-making processes related with child protection in Porto.
Summary of bilateral results