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Description
The island of Lastovo is the most distant inhabited island in Croatia, marked by multiple deprivations and devastating demography. The civil society is very fragile. The most socially deprived groups are elderly and youth. The discrepancy between the legitimate expectations and the real possibilities is enormous. The elderly and infirm do not have adequate social and health service on the island. Youth have to travel for secondary and higher education which exceeds psychological limits; this group no longer feels like part of the island society and organizes its life and work elsewhere. The lack of young people who should be the bearers of the development of society is a devastating fact. The result is community stagnation. Only the Association "Val" provides social services on the island and daily faces the shortcomings of social care. The project "Watchdog - island of Lastovo" stand up for vulnerable groups aiming to initiate "bottom up" democratic procedures through the creation of a working group (elderly and infirm, young people, volunteers). We strive for the recognition of unrealized legitimate rights to the arrangement of island life and the development of policies, regulations and practices that contribute to equalizing the rights of citizens in our country. Key actions are: research on public opinion and legislative framework, public debates, creation of recommendations and advocacy. We believe that this project will continue in the future. Expectd results are the initiation of an intergenerational discourse in the local (lastovo island) and thematic (elderly and infirm and young) community and participation in the adoption of new legal frameworks and adapted practices. The results of the commitment are an increased number, quality and access to social and health services and adapted practices regarding the organization of pupils and students in distant centers. The added value is increased integration and the quality of life on the island of Lastovo.
Summary of project results
The island of Lastovo, also the municipality of Lastovo, is the most remote community in Croatia with 835 inhabitants. It must be noted that a large part of this population mostly lives on the mainland due to education or a related job. The picture of the society throughout the year is mostly elderly population. There are many elderly people in Lastovo who are over 80 years old, and who live alone in their own household. Apart from the social services provided by VAL Association, there are no other institutional services adapted to the elderly and infirm persons in Lastovo. Apart from general health care that lacks basic equipment such as ultrasound or X-ray, there are no health prevention programmes. Most of the official services are located on the neighboring island of Korčula. Travel for any specialist examination, visit to the bank, court, social services of retirement homes, etc. Is not possible without a full day''s travel. Such a trip starts in the morning at 4:30 a.m. when the ferry and catamaran depart and lasts until at least 5 p.m. in the evening.
On the other hand, regarding the young people, the distance from educational centers in Split, Dubrovnik or Zagreb is devastating for the demography and development of the community. Secondary schools are organized according to the principle of shifts, so young people are forced to stay in the city every other weekend. At that age, when young people are in the puberty phase, life without direct contact with the family is very risky. Independent living of very young people leads to various problems in the general development and education. At the same time, there are no young people on the island of Lastovo who should assume a generational role and become community leaders. The lack of this group leads to the stagnation of society, which does not develop in accordance with new standards but in accordance with old stereotypes. Also, civil society organizations do not have users to work with. These are highlighted problems that require additional efforts.
In order to explore the discrepancy between the legal framework and practice, a detailed study of the needs of the elderly and the infirm and the young, and on the other hand the possibilities available within state institutions, was conducted. A working group which consisted of members of both target groups (elderly and infirm and young) and representatives of other CSOs in Lastovo, was established that conducted research, surveyed target groups, analyzed public policies and the legislative framework, and presented the results and recommendations at a well-attended public debate. Advocacy priorities are summarized in a brochure, and an informal network of organizations has been established.
The project contributed to the empowerment of civil society in order to end the lack of commitment in the adoption of public policies, primarily social, health and educational policies. Positive changes were achieved in the local and "thematic" community (elderly and infirm through social and health services and young people through better organization of educational everyday life). Through the implemented activities of the project, the community was made aware of the existing problems and the possibilities of solving them.
The presentation of advocacy topics to the institutions showed that until now the institutions were not familiar with the specific problems of the elderly and young people of the island of Lastovo. In cooperation with two associations from Lastovo, an informal network of CSOs was created, which continues to work on advocating the rights of the Lastovo community. In addition to local associations, associations such as "Movement of the Islands", "ACT Group" and "LAG 5" will use the results of the research in their work in order to generally improve social services and specifically social issues on the islands. The Office of the Ombudsman shows interest in continued cooperation, especially considering the challenges arising from the remoteness and specificity of Lastovo. Contacts were also made for potential cooperation at the international level, such as the German Embassy.
At the Youth Council of the Government of the Republic of Croatia, the problems of the youth of Lastovo were presented, especially those who face the challenges of schooling on a remote island, which was also included in the agenda of one of the Council''s sessions. Meetings with the representatives of the Health Center Ante Franulović in Lastovo resulted in successful cooperation aimed at the well-being of patients at Lastovo. Initiatives have been agreed with the Mayor of the municipality of Vela Luka to improve the connection of the island in the field of education and health.
Active citizens in Lastovo are generally encouraged to act, for example, elderly people actively discuss their rights, and communication has also spread to social networks, especially within groups of Lastovo residents. Cooperation between CSOs will continue in future projects.
It is also important to point out that the brochures (Research Analysis and Recommendations) were distributed to key decision-making centers such as the Government of the Republic of Croatia, the Parliament, the Youth Council, the Office of the Ombudsman, as well as among the residents of the island of Lastovo.