LIFE SKILLS 4 CARE LEAVERS

The Life Skills for Care Leavers Project (LS4CL) was created to support Young people leaving Institutional Care

This E-Learning Platform, the One-stop-shop and the courses created within this structure the intellectual outputs of the Project LIFE SKILLS FOR CARE LEAVERS, co-funded by the European Union Program ERASMUS+, Key Action 2 Cooperation for Innovation and the Exchange of Good Practices, Strategic Partnerships for Youth (KA205), under the Grant Agreement nº 2018-3-FR02-KA205-015207.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES:

Young people leaving institutional or alternative care face many challenges in the process of adapting themselves to independent living. An important majority of them do not enter higher education, while an important number of the young people leaving foster or residential care are neither in employment nor in education or training (NEETs), which strongly compromises their chances to successfully transition into adulthood.

In the context of the above-described challenges, the current proposal aims to contribute to the already ongoing effort to find solutions through:

Providing guidance and support to young people by creating a “one-stop-shop” where they will be able to access information, guidance, support and services provided by relevant organizations and institutions.

Support young people through the process of transition to independence by creating a network of volunteer mentors to help them build their plans and assist them in their communication with institutions and organizations.

Establish long term cooperation among the partners to assist the insertion of care leavers in European Youth Mobility, Volunteering, and Apprenticeship programmes. The opportunities the EU provides for Youth and Education represent an enormous opportunity for vulnerable young people for inclusion, participation, gaining professional experience and important professional and individual competencies. The project will directly involve about 60 young people aged 18-26 through the activities as well as around 500 indirect participants.

THE LIFE SKILLS FOR CARE LEAVERS PROJECT MAIN OUTPUTS:

⤵️ 1| LIFE SKILLS FOR CARE LEAVERS SUPPORT E-PLATFORM AND MOBILE APP

Young people exiting institutional care face many challenges during their transition to adulthood, and easy and comprehensive access to information and services can do much to relieve at least part of the frustration linked to building a life project and entering into adulthood as an empowered and complete individual.

The coordination effort between social services and housing, mental health, and education and employment service as well as the cooperation between public services and non-profit organizations in the relevant fields needs to be enhanced, and with this activity, we are trying to achieve exactly that.

The Life Skills for Care Leavers support e- platform and the mobile app serves multiple purposes:

A Virtual, Intuitive, Easy to Navigate “One Stop Shop” where care leavers can access information and guidance on the services at their disposal, provided by relevant institutions and organizations, as well as support and coaching online through the app, by phone or person to person.

An Interactive E-learning Platform with training programs for young people and mentors, with dynamic and useful modules, covering a wide range of skills and competencies, accessible anywhere, anytime.

An Educational Resource, containing the guidelines to the approach implemented in the project’s training, the methodology, the training program, the results and the analysis of the results achieved by the series of training;

A Communication Platform for Intercultural Communication and exchange of good practices

An E-library with resources related to transversal skills and competencies learning and teaching.

⤵️ 2| LIFE SKILLS FOR CARE LEAVERS TRAINING COURSE FOR MENTORS

One of the key activities of the project is the establishment of a network of volunteer mentors for young people, who will provide them with one-to-one support through the process of transition to independence, help them create their life plan, be their first point of contact, and assist them in their communication with institutions and organizations.

With this approach, we aim to address the feeling of loneliness and isolation, due to the lack of person-centred and individualized support from the part of the relevant institutions.

Having somebody to follow through and assist youngsters with their challenges will help alleviate the feeling of social isolation and not being understood. Having more mature and experienced persons to help and provide assistance will also help them learn to cope with the demands of daily life by following an example.

However, for the relationship between a mentor and mentee to be positive and empowering for both parties, mentors need to be prepared and have a clear awareness and understanding of their role and responsibility.

The Life Skills for Care Leavers training course for Mentors will be continuously developed and improved during the lifetime of the project, and its main modules will be organized to ensure that the youngsters will benefit from high-quality mentorship and coaching.

The main modules of the course will cover aspects such as roles and responsibilities, respecting personal boundaries, expecting boundaries, creating rapport and a relationship of trust and respect, empowering and motivating, providing emotional support, transferring skills and competencies etc.

⤵️ 3| LIFE SKILLS FOR CARE LEAVERS TRAINING COURSE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

The main objective of the project is that young people leaving care receive support in designing an achievable life project for their future as adults.

Building a successful life project however requires a combination of transversal skills of competencies such as communication and social skills, financial literacy and organisational and goal-setting skills.

The TRAINING COURSE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE is designed to help them achieve just that with the help of their mentors. To achieve this result it was developed as an interactive, intuitive and “fun” training course for young people, to complete and facilitate the work of the Mentors and provide young people with a set of important skills for their transition to adulthood.

The primary objective of this training course is to be used in young people’s work with mentors. With its design, we aim to make it as “light” and “fun” as possible, while at the same time ensuring effective and lasting learning outcomes by covering the three broad dimensions of learning: AWARENESS-KNOWLEDGE-SKILL.

The MODULES OF THE TRAINING COURSE are the following:

– Social and Communication skills: conversation skills, assertiveness, active listening, preparing for an interview, non-verbal communication etc.

– Financial literacy and management skills: managing a personal budget, financial institutions, asking for a loan/grant/social assistance etc., understanding the difference between consumption and investment, personal budget management techniques and tools etc.

– Organisational and goal setting skills: time management, effective goal setting, resource management, planning and putting into action a life project etc.

⤵️ 4| LIFE SKILLS FOR CARE LEAVERS TOOL KIT FOR ORGANISATIONS AND STAFF IN EUROPEAN COOPERATION

A Tool Kit for organizations and staff in European Cooperation and mobility for care leavers containing guidance in the introduction of quality, safety, and responsibility standards for sending and receiving young people in this situation. The toolkit will allow participating organisations and local stakeholders to send and receive young people, thus providing care leavers with opportunities to benefit from learning experiences abroad.

As care leavers face significant disadvantages, engaging this group in European mobility initiatives will have an enormous positive impact on them. However, the successful integration and completion of mobility projects for young people facing this type of difficulties require a high level of competence and motivation of mentoring and accompanying staff both from the sending and hosting organisations, personalised attention to each individual and their specific needs, as well as adapted and carefully designed missions, approaches, activities and objectives. Due to these requirements, the inclusion of care leavers in EU youth projects is rare and has higher associated risks, such as having the opposite of the desired effect. For this reason, we believe that close cooperation between European partner organisations and the establishment of quality, safety, and responsibility standards for sending and receiving young people in this situation is required for securing positive experiences and learning outcomes. The current intellectual output will create a toolkit kit for organisations in European cooperation and mobility for young people leaving care, covering the following:

1. Communication and cooperation rules and modalities between sending and receiving organisations before, during and after the lifetime of the mobility

2. Preparation of young people before departure: safety instructions, cultural, educational/vocational and linguistic support

3. On arrival training and coaching procedures for young people, including cultural, educational/vocational and linguistic support

4. Mentorship and coaching criteria and rules for sending and receiving organisations

5. Designing suitable missions and activities for the duration of the mobility

6. Regulation of learning/working and living conditions for young people with disadvantages participating in European mobility

7. Ethical code for organisations, mentors and young people participating in European mobility

8. Quality approaches for emotional and adaptation support to disadvantaged young people

9. Cooperation and communication regulation for reaction in crisis and unwanted situations

10. Follow up and mentoring after the end of the European mobility.

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THE PROJECT CONSORTIUM:

⤵️ OFFICE RÉMOIS DES RETRAITÉS ET DES PERSONNES AGÉES (ORRPA), FRANCE .

PROJECT COORDINATOR

Office Rémois des Retraités et des Personnes Agées (ORRPA), is a non-profit organization aiming dedicated to provide services to the elderly. The objective of our organization is to promote healthy and active ageing and to give opportunities to citizens to remain active and independent as they age.

ORRPA provides a wide range of services to elderly people at different stages of independence, thus encompassing the entire process of ageing in order to assure that the needs of seniors are met at best as possible. Among the services we provide are assistance at home, free service of accompanying, support for autonomy and independent living, activities such as courses, classes, art workshops, etc., prevention and information services. L’ORRPA has a large activity promoting active ageing, with missions dedicated to the community and carried out by our “young seniors” volunteers. We believe that seniors can make important contributions to society as they are a source of knowledge, experience and important skills which are much needed in our society. Our association has a wide network of senior volunteers(around 100 persons), who participate actively in projects and initiatives for the benefit of society. In the carrying out of these missions, we work in partnership with several institutions such as the Municipality of Reims, Reims Habitat housing children and young people with no parental care, non-profit associations, museums, sports, arts clubs, educational and cultural organisations.

ORRPA has a long and fruitful partnership with two institutions dedicated to providing assistance to children with no parental care and young people exiting the child protection system: Reims Habitat and la Sauvegarde.

In the framework of our cooperation protocol with these institutions, we already have several programmes for assisting young people in this situation running:

Assistance with education and school performance, with the objective to improve the learning outcomes and future perspectives of these children and youngsters

A literacy programme, supporting young people and children in acquiring literacy skills

Assisting homeless young people in getting housing and support to restart their lives - helping young people leaving care transition successfully to adulthood and continue with education

Involving young people with fewer opportunities in apprenticeships and volunteering activities in order for them to gain basic and transversal skills, necessary for them to find employment.

Besides our volunteer seniors, our association also possesses a professional team, having all the needed skills and competencies in order to carry out the activities of the project. The team responsible for the direct implementation of the project will be composed of animators, psychologists, social workers, researchers and teachers, trainers which we have as permanent staff of our organisation. We will also involve actively our senior volunteers, who are participating in the above-described projects, through the mentorship programme and mentors' training foreseen in the project's activities. As our "young seniors" come from different walks of life, they will be the ones providing the accompanying of young people leaving care through the activities previewed in the proposal. We will also carry out this project with the support of our main partners Reims Habitat and la Sauvegarde, whose experience will assure the high quality of implementation of the planned activities.__.

⤵️ REDEFINE - ASSOCIAÇÃO PARA A INVESTIGAÇÃO, EDUCAÇÃO E DESENVOLVIMENTO (REDEFINE), PORTUGAL .

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DEVELOPER OF LIFE SKILLS FOR DEVELOPMENT PROJECT

PROJECT PARTNER

REDefine, Association for Research, Education and Development is a non-profit and non-government organization, created in August of 2018 in Portugal.

REDefine is a young but fast-growing non-governmental organisation, based in Setúbal, Portugal.

REDefine is governed by an Administrative Council of 12 members, experts in the fields of academia, economics and finances, education and training, ICT and System design, social and cultural sciences, youth etc. It has over 60 members coming from businesses, educational institutions, associations, public institutions, NGOs and others.

Our main objective is to promote cross-sector integration and cooperation between civil society organisations, businesses, public institutions and educational bodies, in order to facilitate innovation and the emergence of breakthrough solutions to societal challenges.

REDefine works in close partnership with Organizations, Institutions and Professionals from all over Europe, aiming at encouraging international cooperation in the fields of science and education, culture and arts, tourism and sustainable development.

The expertise of the organization is focused on the following key areas:

Youth, Education and Training: The Association provides education and training in the areas of soft and transversal skills and competencies, such as Emotional Intelligence, Critical Thinking, Foreign Languages, Cultural competencies, Information and Digital Literacy, Employability, Change Management and Values Education.

Culture, Tourism and Sustainable Development: As part of the European Cultural Networks “Route Européenne des Légendes", we are engaged with the development of the International Cultural Routes. The association provides expert assistance to the local stakeholders in sustainable tourism development, international cooperation and fundraising, marketing and promotion, quality improvement and management. Civil Society, Citizenship and Social Affairs

Technical training in Data management and analysis, Environment and Sustainable Development, Rural Development and Planning, Sustainable Agriculture, Digital Cartography & GIS Mapping, Digital Asset Management Systems and System design.

Association REDefine carries out awareness-raising and training activities for young people and adults in the areas of Civic Participation, Community Building, Volunteering and Social Engagement, Citizens’ Rights and Freedoms.

REDefine also develop activities targeting Socially Vulnerable Groups and is actively involved in Nurse Care and Home Care Assistance and Management for the Elderly, as well as coaching, professional training, educational support and career orientation to young people with fewer opportunities.

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⤵️ ASSOCIATION FOR DEVELOPING VOLUNTARY WORK NOVO MESTO (DRPDNM), SLOVENIA ..

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PROJECT PARTNER

DRPDNM - Association for Developing Voluntary Work Novo Mesto is a Slovenian non-governmental, humanitarian organisation, working in the public interest in the area of social care, youth and culture.

Our mission is to contribute to a more inclusive and open society for all.

Our two leading programs, therefore, deal with the inclusion of socially excluded groups and with the stimulation of NGO development and civil dialogue.

Our activities within the programs are performed by expert and voluntary work.

We promote the values of solidarity, tolerance, voluntarism, active living, clean environment, citizenship awareness and inter-cultural dialogue...

DRPDNM has 24 years of experience in education, youth, citizens, migrants, women, workers, elderly, disabled, NEETs, LGBT... empowerment, inclusion, integration, international cooperation, entrepreneurship, professions in history, culture and art, unemployment, disadvantaged groups empowerment, training, citizens participation, environment preservation, ecological issues, sustainable development, circular economy, health, smart city, sport, intergenerational cooperation, human rights, migrations, advocacy, gender issues, active citizenship, international NGO cooperation, health, environmental

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⤵️ KIRIKKALE CHILDREN HOUSES COORDINATION DIRECTORY (KCHCD), TURKEY ..

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PROJECT PARTNER

Kırıkkale Children Houses Coordination Directory is a sub-institution of Kirikkale Province Family and Social Politics Directory.

Under the supervision of the Kırıkkale Children Houses Coordination Directory, there are 19 Child houses in the city. 6 youngsters/children stay in each child house.

The Total number of youngsters/children staying in these houses is 114 (56 girls and 58 boys).

The age of children/youngsters starts from 0 to 24years.

There are 17 professionals (psychologists, teachers, sociologists, nurses and social workers) working for these houses. There are also 70 caregivers working in the houses in three days time shifts.

The aim of our directory is to bring up the children in the society, not in the institutions like orphanages etc. We do our best to ensure them to involve in society.

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⤵️ CODA DI LUPO, ITALY.

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PROJECT PARTNER

AIMS Coda di Lupo is a non-profit organization that aims to promote social inclusion activities, using innovative methods of education, support and training.

The association is especially committed to the implementation of educational, social and healthy activities.

WHAT do WE do? Our mission is to assist people with fewer opportunities and disabilities to enjoy greater independence and a better quality of life, promoting the development of self-evaluation processes, self-learning, self-fulfilment, self-awareness through non-formal education tools.

HOW do WE help?

Organizing training activities to provide skills to young people

Providing methods and tools to youth workers for the promotion of diversity and talents of young people with fewer opportunities and special needs

Providing educational support in schools through pet therapy and animal-assisted education

Exploring ways dogs can be social facilitators and can help people overcome specific challenges in order to enrich and improve lives and communities.

TARGET GROUPS:

Our main activities are aimed at children, young, adult and elderly people, especially those with fewer opportunities and special needs. Our target group is composed of people with disabilities and/or health problems and people with severe disadvantages due to educational difficulties and social obstacles.

Coda di Lupo is mainly involved in the following regular activities:

Social innovation projects aimed to develop strategies for overcoming the problems of disadvantaged people.

Animal Assisted Education in schools and playrooms.

Animal Assisted Therapy in mental health facilities, hospitals, nursing homes, hospices, rehabilitation centres.

Training courses addressed to volunteers and social workers who are interested and motivated to work on disability issues.

Outdoor and indoor activities to promote healthy lifestyles, well-being and the accessibility to sport for people with difficulties or disabilities.

Info point “Special Europe” aimed to promote European training and volunteering opportunities among young people.

Initiatives to promote active citizenship, social participation and the values of volunteering and solidarity.

Sharing experiences and exchanging best practices in the field of social inclusion at the local, national and international levels. Our collaboration network is composed of public institutions, NGOs, schools, social and health facilities.

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