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Description
In this project we support young people (aged 15-29) from the West Pomeranian Province who are leaving or preparing to leave penitentiary institutions, Youth Centres of Sociotherapy, Youth Educational Centres or foster care. These people are at high risk of social exclusion. They do not have professional competences or so-called soft competences (social and personal skills), which makes it difficult for them to find their place in society. Within the project we provide these people with group and individual support to facilitate their successful social readaptation. Individual support includes legal assistance, vocational activation support as well as therapeutic and motivational support, including assistance in creating and implementing an individual action plan. As part of group support for the participants of the project, our partner, the ZASTOPUJ Foundation from Koszalin, conducts workshops on animation of free time and therapeutic meetings. In this project, we facilitate young people''s adaptation in society and protect them from returning to a criminal environment. The project also aims to prevent their social exclusion and marginalisation, as well as to prevent domestic violence. In this project, young people receive support that is limited in penitentiary institutions. We accompany them in discovering their potential and striving for change.
Summary of project results
The main goal of the task was to assist in the readaptation and social reintegration of young people (13-29 years old) who had left or were preparing to leave penitentiary units, Youth Sociotherapy Centers, Youth Educational Centers and Foster Care - residents of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship. A special social category that is largely exposed to social exclusion is young people leaving penitentiary institutions, care and education centers and foster care. The assumption of our activities was to support the improvement of the life situation, prevent a return to crime, counteract social exclusion and social marginalization, including counteracting domestic violence. Young people to whom we addressed our initiative mentioned the following problems they face after leaving the institution: lack of employment, lack of housing, lack of means of subsistence, abuse of psychoactive substances, lack of contact with close people or disturbed relationships with loved ones, low self-esteem , lack of education, lack of psychological support. It was necessary to strengthen these people and involve them in social and professional life. The lack of such actions could have contributed to the problem getting worse. In the resocialization process in care and educational institutions and penitentiary units, the tool of individualization of education, therapy and independence was not effectively used. Thanks to the implementation of this project, young people were provided with support that is limited in institutions for various reasons.
The project included multi-aspect forms of group and individual assistance for the effective social readaptation of young people in difficult life situations: legal assistance, activation and vocational assistance, therapeutic assistance, motivational and supportive assistance, including assistance in creating and implementing an individual action plan; free time animation workshops, readaptation and therapeutic meetings. We provided: 200 hours of individual legal assistance, which benefited 122 people; 400 hours of activation and vocational assistance, which was used by 195 people, including 40 people who were trained, among others: in the field of interpersonal communication, preparation for a job interview, professional customer service; 200 hours of individual therapeutic assistance, which was used by 108 people; 620 hours of individual motivational and supportive assistance, including the development of an individual action plan for 221 people. The project had a regional scope, we carried out individual activities in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, in Youth Sociotherapy Centers, Youth Educational Centers, Probation Centers, penitentiary units, Family Assistance Facilities and in the foundation''s office in Szczecin. Additionally, 36 hours of free time animation workshops and 36 hours of readaptation meetings carried out by the partner - the Zastopuj Foundation at the Youth Educational Center in Polanów. Throughout the entire project implementation period, we conducted an information campaign (both online and stationary in Szczecin during 2 meetings with representatives of communities involved in supporting socially excluded youth).
As part of the project, we carried out individual and group activities aimed at the effective social readaptation of 262 young people (aged 13-29). These were primarily people who were leaving or were preparing to leave penitentiary units, Youth Sociotherapy Centers, Youth Educational Centers and Foster Care - residents of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship. We have established 9 partnerships with Youth Sociotherapy Centers, Youth Educational Centers, Probation Centers at District Courts, Family Support Facilities and penitentiary units, with which we worked together to counteract criminogenic factors, especially aggression and domestic violence, and addiction problems. Thanks to the implementation of this project, young people had the opportunity to actively participate in social and professional life, and were provided with the support of a lawyer, an addiction therapist, a career counselor, and a resocialization specialist. Our main goal was to accompany people at risk of social exclusion in discovering their own potential and striving for change. We organized two information meetings, thanks to which we regularly informed about our activity and work results. We organized the training "Aggression Replacement Training with ART" for our foundation''s collaborators and volunteers. Activities carried out as part of institutional development have allowed us to develop our offer, the number of institutions we cooperate with and the number of initiatives we undertake have increased. We also diversify the sources of financing our activities. Some of the project recipients continue to support subsequent projects implemented by the TULIPAN Foundation in 2024.