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Description
According to the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, in December 2020, in Romania, over 48,031 children are registered in alternative care and 53,924 in prevention services. The programs of services and social benefits addressed to them are rarely built in dialogue with young people, as direct beneficiaries.
The project targets a group that encounters various barriers when it comes to participation in advocacy and consultation processes: low educational level, limited social and personal skills, lack of space for participation, lack of information and training, etc. In addition, participation as a process of involvement in decision-making, even when it relates only to everyday life or one''s own destiny, is rarely experienced by young people and facilitated by specialists.
The project will directly increase the capacity of 90 children and young people in the SOS care and prevention programs to participate in consultations and advocacy. Moreover, more than 60 specialists working directly with children and young people at national level will be trained in advocacy activities.
Indirectly, the participation capacity of over 600 children and young people in care and prevention programs will be increased.
The project'' activities consist of building and disseminating a model and a set of participation tools applicable in structures at national level; piloting a SOS Youth Advisory Council; organizing 15 workshops for young people on participation and children''s rights and 4 training courses for specialists.
The project will culminate with a participatory advocacy campaign, on the general theme of youth participation that will touch on other specific topics decided by them.
The project has a strong participatory approach. In all activities, including management, evaluation, monitoring, communication and facilitation, young people will be directly involved, with the same power to influence decisions as experts or partners'' representatives.
Summary of project results
The project addressed a significant challenge in the field of social policies and programs for children and young people without or at risk of losing family care, where their participation was extremely low, and sought to transform the existing paradigm. The development of an innovative model of participation, based on international comparative studies and direct consultations with young people, laid the foundations for an approach tailored to the specific needs of this group.
A remarkable result is the establishment of the "SOS Youth Voice" council, which has been operating successfully for over a year now, providing young beneficiaries with a real platform for involvement in decision-making. The impact of the project is proven by the number of 967 people involved in or directly benefiting from the activities, thus exceeding the initially proposed indicators. The training sessions organized for practitioners, children and young people strengthened the skills and motivation needed for effective participation, creating the conditions for sustainable change in organizational practice. The educational and awareness-raising materials created within the project are a valuable long-term resource for practitioners. In addition, the media campaigns carried out had a substantial impact, reaching over 4.1 million people through platforms such as Facebook and YouTube, thus contributing to a better understanding of the importance of youth participation in society.
The project succeeded in transforming youth participation from an occasional activity into a regular and sustainable organizational practice. This provides a replicable model and practical tools for the active involvement of young people in decisions that affect them, thus laying the foundations for a significant and lasting change in the approach to youth participation of vulnerable groups.