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Description
The project will contribute to the economic and social empowerment of adolescents and young people (15-23 years old) with offending behavior and mental disorder living in Attica. The majority of these people find it difficult to mobilize for job search and often feel rejected, frustrated and pushed in marginalization.
The «New Start» project includes targeted support actions with emphasis on professional orientation and psychosocial support. The experienced project team will empower young offenders, encourage them and familiarize them with the key steps of finding a job, aiming at a more active socio-economic role.
The beneficiaries will receive free of charge services divided into four phases:
A) Reception Meeting (Diagnostic Phase)
B) Personalized Vocational Guidance Program
C) Mental Empowerment - Improving Communication and Social Skills
D) Coaching (How to Make a CV, Using Internet for Job Search, Interview preparation, networking with social public services, training institutions, potential employers)
After completing the project, 100 beneficiaries will be mentally empowered, identified their professional interests and will be able to search jobs on the market.
For the presentation of the project and the attraction of beneficiaries, two informative events will be held for 40 employees of social services departments of the Attica Municipalities and institutions for child and adolescent protection. In order to disseminate the results and ensure the viability of the project, a workshop will be held with 50 representatives of competent bodies and a manual will be created for the counseling and management of young people with offending behavior for professionals working with young offenders.
The project will be implemented by the civil, non – profit Organization "Child and Adolescents’ Center" and will last for 18 months.
Summary of project results
Through the New Start project, we reached out to teenagers and young adults (15-23) with psychosocial difficulties who have developed deviant behavior or are at risk of committing a criminal act. The majority of these individuals struggle to find motivation in job searching and often experience rejection, frustration, and marginalization. The experienced project team aimed to empower the beneficiaries, encourage them, and familiarize them with the basic steps of academic career development and job searching, with the goal of helping them attain a more active socio-economic role in the future.
In order to develop multifaceted knowledge on the methods of managing and supporting young people with delinquent behavior and facilitating their social reintegration, a handbook was created in the context of New Start project. The handbook is available to professionals working with the target group. In addition to the original handbook, a smaller, customized handbook that can be addressed to the target group of New Start beneficiaries has been prepared. Both handbooks were given in printed and / or electronic form to representatives of prosecutors, judiciary, police authorities, educational frameworks, social services of Municipalities, child protection organizations of Attica, and have been sent to the relevant Ministries of Education, Research and Religious Affairs, Citizen Protection and Justice, and Human Rights. The two handbooks are available to any body (public or private) working with young people with delinquent behavior.
By the end of the project, 109 beneficiaries, members of the target group, were significantly empowered. Through the specialized Career Guidance program, they were given the opportunity to develop mechanisms of self-awareness regarding their personality, abilities, interests, and values, allowing them to create and strengthen their intrinsic motivation and make functional decisions for their professional development and overall social life. Additionally, through their participation in the Mental Empowerment and Coaching activities, the beneficiaries were trained in writing their resumes, using the internet for job searching, preparing for interviews with potential employers, and networking and collaborating with social services and educational institutions. They also received the necessary support to enhance their psycho-emotional state, improve their communication and social skills, and ultimately strengthen their job search process and smooth integration into the workplace.
The target group of the project consists of young individuals aged 15-23 who exhibit delinquent/deviant behavior or are at risk of committing a criminal act and have mental health issues. These individuals belong to vulnerable and special population groups, including users of psychoactive substances, children of parents who use substances or have mental illnesses, abused children, and children of incarcerated parents, among others. The majority of these individuals struggle to mobilize in job searching and often experience rejection, frustration, and marginalization. The New Start project contributed to the economic and social empowerment of the target group by integrating beneficiaries into targeted support activities focusing on career guidance and psychosocial support, aiming at their active participation in economic and social life as well as advocating for their rights.
The experienced project team responded to the need by empowering the beneficiaries who met the inclusion criteria to realize their potential and make decisions regarding their training and employment. They encouraged and familiarized them with the basic steps of job searching, aiming to help them attain a more active socio-economic role while providing the necessary psychosocial support.
Since the begging of the project until July 2021, one hundred and fifty-five (155) people in total have responded to receive services through the "New Start" project yet one hundred twelve (112) beneficiaries matched the inclusion standards. Some of the beneficiaries joined all three actions of the project (Vocational Orientation, Mental Empowerment, Coaching) while others joined some of them. More specifically, out of one hundred twelve (112) beneficiaries who met the inclusion conditions, eighty-seven (87) joined the action of Mental Empowerment, seventy (70) the action of Vocational Orientation and sixty-six (66) in the action of Coaching. Of the eighty-seven (87) beneficiaries who joined the Mental Empowerment action, eighty-five (85) of them successfully completed the action and two (2) beneficiaries dropped out before its completion. Of the total number of seventy (70) beneficiaries who joined the Vocational Orientation action, sixty-eight (68) managed to complete it and two (2) beneficiaries dropped out before completing the action. Of the total number of sixty-six (66) beneficiaries who joined the Coaching action, sixty (60) managed to successfully complete it and two (2) beneficiaries dropped out before its completion.
In addition, a Memorandum - Report was submitted for the promotion of reform initiatives in the field. The Memorandum - Report contains the methodology and the results of the project’s actions as well as suggestions that emerged from the experience of the New Start project implementation. The memorandum has been submitted to the relevant Greek ministries of: Education, Research and Religious Affairs, Citizen Protection and Justice, Transparency and Human Rights in order to positively influence national policies and laws for young offenders.