Description
Young people have many needs and ideas, but not always space for their realization and understanding or support from adults. The voices of the youth in public are important, however, is not often heard. Mostly they are perceived as those who "have no opinion", "know nothing", "are still children". The adults do not take them very seriously. Representatives of the state or municipalities can not find a way to them and especially the youth from excluded communities have a lower chance to enter into processes of change.
The project aims to create a low-threshold program for young people in Bratislava. It will help build a network of support for young people, families and community members in Bratislava housing estates, community centres and directly in families. This network includes a comprehensive package of services - leisure, counselling, educational, cultural and community activities with an emphasis on civic participation. An important point is to draw attention to the current needs of youth in selected localities. In the form of fieldwork, work in clubs, for example in the Rača or Karlova Ves districts, or a direct visit to families, the project will assist in the form of education, hobby activities, counselling, communication activities etc. Through 4 community activities, it will try to create a bridge between the community and the municipality.
The role of the partner, Stará jedáleň in the project is to operate and manage the premises of the Stará jedáleň community centre, plan and organize community and cultural activities for community members, participate in organizing participatory activities and meetings in cooperation with the Mládež ulice and city district - Bratislava Rača, which is the second project partner.
The project will be of particular benefit to local communities, children and young people in the form of helping them to integrate into society and help in difficult life decisions.
Summary of project results
The project was aimed at supporting the healthy and full development of young people who come from diverse backgrounds - from housing communities, but also from the socially disadvantaged. The project has helped young people to have a stimulating and meaningful environment around them and thus a healthy system to help them reach their potential. They managed to work directly with young people, with their families, but also with the community in which they live and function and could help it develop. As part of the project, low-threshold programs for children and youth were implemented 4 times a week. Young people could come to the low-threshold club, spend their free time in a safe and supportive environment. Not only did they find interesting leisure activities here (billiards, calcite, Playstation, board games or creative activities, etc.), but they could be in contact with friends, build new friendships, but also find support from a team of youth workers. They helped them cope with the difficult moments that sometimes appear in the process of adolescence. They prepared preventive activities with them on topics that young people deal with, helped with preparation for school, had a lot of fun and developed social skills. During the pandemic, fieldwork took place, young people (who were on the street despite the measures) were addressed and the project implementers tried to support them, as they also addressed challenging topics (social isolation, worries and fears, mental health problems or relationships). As part of the project, the organization also launched a family program and counseling: the organization''s employees came directly to the families'' homes, creating an accessible social and support service for families in crisis. In families, they provided social or psychological counseling, humanitarian aid (food, diapers, hygiene, etc.), crisis intervention, etc. Supporting families also meant supporting children and young people to be able to function in a functioning environment (or at least less hurtful). Topics addressed in counseling were mainly housing and employment, debt, social assistance benefits, family or partnerships, contact with other (especially state) institutions or children''s schools, strengthening social and practical skills for functioning in society (communication, building relationships with others, resolving conflicts, internal insecurities, etc.).