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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.