From Youth to Independent Life Erasmus Project

Project Title

From Youth to Independent Life

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for youth

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Youth (Participation, Youth Work, Youth Policy) ; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Inclusion – equity

Project Summary

The project addresses the challenges that young people leaving residential care face and it is based on the observation and real needs (as reflected in their daily practice) in the field of youth care and residential youth care of the partner organisations. Preparation for independent life and social inclusion is also essential for unaccompanied minor migrants as they lack some important socially and culturally defined knowledge for their adaptation and inclusion to the host community.

The From Youth to Independent Life project has been successfully implemented, it has made important achievements, has led to improved practices in youth work by developing three intellectual outputs. This partnership tried to keep the project plan in order to respect the proposed aims and objectives, just with some minor delays as compared to project timeline, but every task has been finished by the end of implementation period.
Even though IO1 didn’t get finance, the partners considered that is important to have relevant information about the needs of target group, this activity have been carried out, but the research couldn’t be done in the extent which was proposed initially.
Activities performed:
IO1. Gateways to integration – Report on the resources for social inclusion of youth in residential care
Preparation of study instruments: development of the interview guidelines for the guided interview for young adults, and after care providers. Revision of interview guidelines and translation into the partner countries languages. Study Implementation: implementation of the interviews with 20 young adults, in total, who already had left care and 13 after care provider. Evaluation of results: Partners agreed that in general all partner countries presented similar difficulties of the young people leaving care. There is lack of support in self-esteem and self-awareness, presenting difficulties in managing finding and maintaining job, or housing conditions. In the 1st Intellectual Output it was important to access specific information for development of successful and valid training material. The investigation was used to get to know realities of those who leaved the care-system in order to widen the aftercare – preparation program and provide the young persons what they need. Based on the interviews from partner countries most relevant topics to work with were self-esteem and self-awareness and vocational guidance before leaving care. As well as on the professional awareness as young persons have difficulties in finding the right career path that is in concordance with the interests and competences.
IO2: 2. Make a living – Online games for young people to get prepared for independent life was led by P2, SEC (RO). All the
partners contributed to the selection of the competencies. The software for the online platform has been developed, which is in fact a PHP based educational online multi-game system. Taking into consideration the learning outcomes, some activities are better suited for online activities, the division of skill-groups was adapted to the online games. The online games contains in total 5 units, 25 lessons and 2 games/unit.
The theory part of the lessons can be read at anytime, but the games already solved successfully, can’t be played
again.
Learning time: 30-40 learning hours.
It consist of 5 units:
1. Self-care skills – family planning,
2. money management,
3. food management skills,
4. housing and housekeeping,
5. career and job related skills.
Units structure: Intro, Definition, References, Theory, Videos, Photos.
Games: True or False, General Knowledge, Quiz, Letter Pile, Choose the right answer.
The game can be played in all partner country languages. Also, a Multilingual guide has been developed in all partner languages, and also a Validation Report as well.

IO3. Social workout
The training material is focusing on skills listed in the Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000, with practical tools addressed to young people and residential youth care workers, incorporating the use of the online games.
The training programme consists of 5 modules (Interpersonal skills, Legal skills (active citizenship 1), Career and job related skills, Money management, Knowledge on active citizenship 2, it is designed in modular format, each of the modules can be used separately, and it has 180 pages.
The training curriculum was jointly developed by the partners, 14 of them took part of the joint staff training, and after that they piloted locally with 120 participants.
Beside the developed intellectual outputs, it is important to acknowledge the multisectorial nature of the project that facilitated opportunities to cooperation of relevant stakeholders from different backrounds: public sector, NGOs, youth organisations, schools, local governments. etc. The partnership had the opportunity to improve their competences in youth work and so they can directly exploit the project results to their target groups.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 136369,47 Eur

Project Coordinator

Directia Generala de Asistenta Sociala si Protectia Copilului Harghita & Country: RO

Project Partners

• FORMAZIONE CO&SO NETWORK – CONSORZIO DI COOPERATIVE SOCIALI SOCIETA COOPERATIVA SOCIALE
• SIRIUS – CENTAR ZA PSIHOLOSKO SAVJETOVANJE, EDUKACIJU I ISTRAZIVANJE
• Fundatia Centrul Educational Spektrum
• TEGYESZ