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Description
In Švenčionys, Zarasai, and Anykščiai districts due to the lack of specialists, young people experiencing social exclusion are not fully integrated into the social life of municipalities, they lack social skills and competencies, entrepreneurship skills and informal relationships and cooperation with local communities. The target group of the project is young people experiencing social exclusion. The project aims at implementing the social integration of young people experiencing social exclusion in Švenčionys, Anykščiai and Zarasai districts, providing social integration services to reduce their social exclusion, restore favorable conditions for young people''s personal development and growth. It is also aimed at providing counseling and assistance to young people about their rights and other relevant information, developing young people''s entrepreneurship skills and encouraging them to realize their ideas. It is expected that the implementation of the project activities, such as information sessions for local communities, trainings on the development of social skills and practical workshops on social entrepreneurship skills and ideas for young peope will reduce the number of young people experiencing social exclusion and the overall indicators showing the civic activity of young people will increase.
Summary of project results
The project addresses the problem - young people experiencing social exclusion in Svencionys, Zarasai and Anyksciai districts, regional municipalities are not fully integrated into municipal social life due to the shortage of specialists and the high workload rate of the existing ones, young people are lacking in social skills, general abilities, entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurial skills and informal relations and cooperation with local communities. The target group of the project is socially excluded young people aged between 14 and 29: socially at-risk children up to the age of 18, members of large families, members of socially at-risk families, persons belonging to ethnic minorities, current and former children of children''s social welfare homes, community-based children''s care homes, special boarding schools, and families (up to the age of 29). The project aimed to carry out social integration of socially excluded young people in Svencionys, Zarasai and Anyksciai districts municipalities, to provide social integration services in order to reduce their social exclusion, to restore favourable conditions for their development, maturation, integration into local communities, to provide assistance on their rights and other relevant information, to develop young people''s social entrepreneurship skills and encourage them to realise their ideas, to integrate young people into the active life of the local communities.
For the project target group.
1.simulations and discussions on social skills development/recovery were organised. The sessions were organised to restore/develop/sustain social skills of the project target group in the project municipalities. Psychologists were used in the project to conduct the sessions. The sessions promoted self-knowledge, communication skills (to understand others, to express oneself), decision-making skills (to define the problem, to evaluate alternatives), conflict resolution skills (to resolve conflicts in a constructive way), questioning skills, the ability to receive and select information, to represent one''s own interests, and other social skills in a way that was attractive to young people.
2.general skills training was organised (planned training on learning to learn, social and civic skills, advocacy, motivation). The general skills training was organised in order to develop the target group''s general abilities to be inquisitive, motivated, civic, socially responsible and able to defend their opinions and interests in a reasoned way.
3.interactive training on social entrepreneurship in the simulation platform EcoSim. Simulation training is a training that uses a variety of teaching methods that form an interactive system of trainer and participant activities that help learners to acquire new competences.
4.events were organised for the target group for social inclusion in the local communities of the municipalities and for the foresight of the possibilities of realisation of the created social innovations in the local communities. During the events, the members of the project target group were fully integrated into the daily life of the local communities and prepared an action plan for the realisation of the social innovation in the local communities.
For the project target group.
Members of the project target group restored/developed social skills, gained self-confidence and motivation to take up activities, became more socially active citizens and motivated to participate more actively in other project activities and social life. The project participants became motivated to be socially responsible and civic citizens of their municipalities, and gained knowledge and skills to represent their rights. They also gained motivation to develop their entrepreneurial skills. The project participants'' social entrepreneurship skills and motivation, knowledge and skills to implement their social entrepreneurship ideas in local communities have been developed.The integration of the project target group into the local communities was consolidated and the human resources and creative potential of the local communities were strengthened. The actual realisation of the social business ideas of the project participants and the possibilities of attracting funding sources for the realisation of the ideas were planned.
Impact result - Vulnerable group empowered - socially excluded young people aged between 14 and 29 years.
- Number of vulnerable people empowered: directly 88 socially excluded young people aged 14-29 in the project municipalities.
Operational results - People belonging to vulnerable groups trained or advocating for their own/their community needs:
- Number of persons belonging to vulnerable groups who have received training in advocacy or have carried out advocacy on their own/their community needs - 88 socially excluded young people aged between 14 and 29 years in the project municipalities.
Operational results - CSOs promoted inclusion of vulnerable groups.
- Number of staff trained in working with vulnerable groups - 10 staff/members of the applicant and partners participated in targeted training.