Best practice

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The Kids Rights Collective (Het Kinderrechtencollectief)
The Kids Rights Collective (Het Kinderrechtencollectief) 400 400 our civic space

The Kids Rights Collective (Het Kinderrechtencollectief)

Kids have the right to participate. This is part of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. But how do you include young people in municipal policy? In the Netherlands, this differs strongly per municipality. There are for instance municipalities who are busy establishing a so called ‘Child Right’s City’. Other municipalities have appointed an employee specifically focusing on child’s rights. However, there are also municipalities who are still struggling to find a suitable way to incorporate child’s rights in their communities. For those in need of ideas there is this beautiful example of youth participation in Utrecht!

Jennifer Lekkerkerker, policy advisor at the municipality of Utrecht: “You will be surprised to see how well young people can put into words what they need and how many beautiful ideas they can come up with.” Séun Steenken, board member at the National Youth Council of the Netherlands is also enthusiastic: “In collaboration with the municipality and some other partners we founded a local youth think tank. Every two weeks we discuss what we can do to support youth in Utrecht.” Keep up the good work Jennifer and Séun!

Written by Kinderrechtencollectief (translated by ISA)

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European Life Goals Games
European Life Goals Games 960 720 our civic space

European Life Goals Games

In 2021, Hungary won the European Football Championship. A strong statement… We can all remember the memorable penalty shootout at Wembley, but it was fought by two teams and Hungary definitely wasn’t one of them. Still, the above statement is true: Hungary did win a football EuroCup this year.

How come that it is not all over the press? How is it possible that hardly anyone has heard of this?

The answer is simple: the above success has been reached by another Hungarian team, in another football EuroCup. Not in the Wembley stadium in London, but a light structural stadium at the Jaarbeursplein in Utrecht. Instead of large teams of 26 players much smaller teams of 8 played, on way smaller pitches.

However, in some ways, this little tournament is similar to its big brother. It is also played with a ball, for goals. Just like in our ‘big’ national team, some players come from migrant backgrounds, here, as well. In our case, this is true for half of the squad. Three Afghani and one Iranian player have also earned undying merits in the victory. It is a result of valuable professional work: coaches and players do their best to eliminate their faults by holding video analyses daily, while they do the same analysing their next day’s opponent. Just like on the highest level.

With the European Life Goal Games – as the name of the tournament suggests – sports performance is not the primary and exclusive measure of success. Street football tournaments provide an opportunity for athletes for whom sport serves to repair unfavourable, disadvantaged situations, in addition to maintaining health, and even more so.

But how does it all happen?
On the one hand, at the individual level. The majority of these players are either raised in children’s foster homes, or come from a migrant background, are/were homeless, or grow up within other disadvantageous conditions. Many people took a plane for the first time in their lives to attend the tournament. Regular physical activity is crucial for them, as it makes it easier for them to acquire life skills in a playful way that can serve them in academic achievements, being successful in the labor market, starting a family, and much more. Regular training, punctual arrival, and the necessary communication prior to each event actually all serve these purposes. In football, just like in other team sports in general, everyone has his/her unique role on the pitch. If a team wants to be successful, all team members must be individually aware of their roles. It is true the other way around as well: a team, where teammates are aware of each other’s strengths and weaknesses, is able to offset individual mistakes, so the team can be successful even if some players are having a bad day. Players have the opportunity to experience the power of community, within a short time, with a smaller stake. It is important to emphasise: when setting the lineup, football knowledge is not the primary selection criterion here, either. Diligence, reliability, “good behaviour” are at least as important.

It is important to highlight that each form of motion has its own set of rules that players need to accept and adhere to. Since Fairplay Football and Street Football – to name only two of the most important sets of rules used by the Oltalom Sport Association – are played by completely different rules, players can gain experience in adapting to different requirements during training and matches. And that teaches just the kind of flexibility one needs in a workplace, for example.

A sense of achievement is also important. It’s an uplifting, self-confidence-boosting experience when we are encouraged by hundreds from the stands, and we don’t even have to win a tournament or a match for this. Success on the pitch reinforces positive self-image and gives confidence to those who find it difficult to gain such experiences as a migrant or a youngster in care. In addition, the features of professional sports – suddenly came glory, astronomical salaries, too rapid improvement in living conditions – that so often ruin the careers and individual development of many talented young athletes do not appear in street football.

At the community level: In addition to developing the skills needed to thrive in life, another crucial goal of a sport-integration program is to build a community that provides participants with a solid base to continue. Although Hungary was represented only by a men’s team at the Dutch tournament, the training sessions of the association are attended by girls too, who prepare together with the boys, so the integration takes place not only on a social, and (inter)cultural, but also at the gender level.

Just as sports – a football game – can be seen as a modeled symbol of life on an individual level, so the team can be interpreted as a scaled-down copy of society. The team will be successful if the players have common goals and strategies and are willing and able to reach them together. This is how it works in the family, in the classroom, in the workplace. Moreover, this is precisely how it worked in Utrecht for a total of about 500 players from 22 participating teams. Teams had breakfast and dinner together every day; there, and at the accompanying programs of the tournament, players got the opportunity to get to know each other in life situations completely different from the matches. Those who were still opponents on the pitch were already cheering each other from the stands the next day.

Operating, as a team: this is the field, in which Team Hungary made the biggest progress during the tournament. Players felt more and more confident from match to match on when to pass the ball further (subordination of individual aspects) and when to take the shot (take individual responsibility) for the sake of the team, even if it seemed risky. Individual mistakes were followed by encouragement from peers who experienced success and then winning the tournament as a shared experience.

At the organisational level: In addition to the individuals and the community involved in integration programs, there is a third player, less visible, mostly hidden in the background, albeit equally important, that should also be mentioned. The implementing organisation itself, together with its personal and material conditions. The members of the team that won the European Championship in Utrecht were athletes of Oltalom Sport Association. The organisation considers sport to be its primary channel of integration. In addition to the training sessions, OSA organises regular cultural programmes, thematic trainings, and scholarship programmes for its players.

Many of the players of the team with the youngest (17) average age of the tournament have been attending the association’s training sessions since their infancy, attending its camps, language classes, and other events. The organic development of the organisation is shown by the fact that the current head coach of the team was a player in similar tournaments a few years ago. In addition to the coach, a social worker is always present at the trainings; they can replace each other if necessary.

Such an international tournament is not only informative in terms of the team’s sport performance, but also shows whether the organisation is on the right track to fulfill its mission. From this point of view, the team’s ever-improving performance during the tournament, the ability of players to fight for each other, and finally winning the tournament are all encouraging signs. Especially considering that OSA does not have its own facility; it organises trainings in the cages of community parks and on rented pitches. The fact that there is no standard-sized street football pitch in Hungary was also a challenge in preparing for the street football tournament in the Netherlands. In the training sessions, they used tape to get the right size. While it is true that working in difficult conditions makes us stronger and more creative, a permanent location, a headquarters where other events can be held in addition to training, would be a major step forward for OSA.

Then, one day, maybe Hungary could win the European Football Championship at home. In the meantime, hats off to the Oltalom team that represented Hungary and won the tournament. Nice job!

Written by OSA

 

 

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Football for Unity
Football for Unity 2560 1706 our civic space

Football for Unity

The Football for Unity programme of Oltalom Sport Association (OSA), supported by the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund of the European Union, the Berlin-based Streetfootball world and UEFA, has set ambitious plans, aimed at serving multiple purposes. As an accompanying programme to the 2020 UEFA Football Eurocup, the project used the widespread interest in the event to draw attention to the increasing xenophobia in Hungary and to provide a possible solution method.

One of the most important goals of the programme was to provide disadvantaged Hungarian and migrant youth with opportunities for health-preserving exercise and provide them with the possibility to get to know each other. The Hungarian government’s anti-migrant policy in recent years alongside the conceptual intimidation have had their effects: racist, xenophobic, homophobic and generally extreme, violent acts are becoming more and more common in Hungary, even among young people. One of the most effective means of preventing and reducing these phenomena is sport, where host and migrant communities can get to know each other in a playful way. They can experience that they have much more in common with those from the other end of the world than they thought they would.

Another important objective of the programme was to bring together local stakeholders, non-governmental organisations and municipalities that are also involved in the above phenomena, so that they could find a solution to the related problems together.

The methodological background of the sports integration programme was provided by Football3, a football-based game played by co-educated teams, for three halves. The methodology of Football3 makes it suitable for responding effectively to various social problems. An important goal of the programme was to train mediators, who are indispensable in Football3 matches. In Football3, instead of referees, mediators follow the events of the matches; their role is at least as important as that of the referee in a traditional football match. The increase in the number of mediators has a multiplier effect that allows more frequent events of a similar nature to be organised in the future.

These were the closing events of the programme for the past year:

  • 17/06/2021 – Youth forum: at the event, which included a short workshop, the professionals participating in the program, some members of the target group and other interested parties shared their experiences and ideas about the possible future role of the program.
  • 18/06/2021 -Football for Inclusion Tournament: In 9 districts of the capital, a total of 54 teams and more than 500 players competed according to the rules of Football3.
  • 20/06/2021 – Awareness Raising Festival: The winners of the district league competed with each other in the City Park, which serves as a fan zone during the European Championship.

Written by OSA

 

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The Femtalks Forum
The Femtalks Forum 1600 1066 our civic space

The Femtalks Forum

Theatre activities and Digital Storytelling to Empower Migrant Women, Foster Social Inclusion and Change narratives

FemTalks Forum aims to combine different training methodologies into a single highly blended learning program for the development of female migrants. Enabling women to acquire new skills, strengthen their self-confidence and self-efficacy. Participants then have the opportunity to master the practical application of what they have learned using an innovative digital sharing platform.

Using this learning programme, FemTalks Forum intends to help female migrants increase their employability and social inclusion and provide them with additional support for further development.

The cooperation gathers 7 organisations from six different countries, like Inova Consultancy from the United Kingdom, Elan Interculturel from France, Matera Hub and #reteteatro41 from Italy, InterAct from Austria, Odysee from Belgium, and Artemisszió Foundation from Hungary. The partners executed different workshops in the field of group coaching, Forum Theatre, and digital storytelling, online and offline, adapting the opportunities to the pandemic context.

In Hungary, Artemisszió Foundation realised the learning programme, which consisted of two coaching and two online theatre processes and several online creative short workshops that targeted female migrants, living in Hungary and in the cases of the online workshops, female migrants from all around the world.

This is how participants of the events recall their experiences:

“To express my emotions during the week was so healing for me – I feel younger than before.”

“Never give up – to see different interventions helps you imagine solutions in your own life.”

“Some specific exercises helped me to regulate my anger.”

“Releasing the voice and expressing ideas through language allows us to release the emotions and feelings. This is especially important in the first three years in a new country when everything feels somehow stuck.”

“After this intensive week, and especially after the performance, I feel more open and confident towards my surroundings and able to face difficult situations at public authorities.”

Webpage: https://femtalksforum.eu/

Storysharing platform: https://platform.femtalksforum.eu/

Contact person: Anna Végh, anna.vegh@artemisszio.hu

Written by OSA

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The ART-RAVALÓ project: a programme of the Subjective Value Foundation and Faktor Terminál Egyesület
The ART-RAVALÓ project: a programme of the Subjective Value Foundation and Faktor Terminál Egyesület 1024 768 our civic space

The ART-RAVALÓ project: a programme of the Subjective Value Foundation and Faktor Terminál Egyesület

We believe that first-hand experience-based creative artistic activities, such as literature, poetry, music, acting, and belonging to a community help us understand ourselves and the world around us. It develops the ability to express ourselves, is sensitizing, and last but not least has sustaining power.

This is why ART-RAVALÓ, the joint social-art project of Szubjektív Értékek Alapítvány and the Factor Terminál Egyesület was created for disadvantaged young adults, raised in child protection. The young people participating in the project will take part in a 9-month-long art and career orientation training registered in adult education.

The goal is to provide young clients with personality-developing artistic activities, whilst in the long run, the aim is to promote a positive future and self-image, as well as enhancing social inclusion and successful employment. Some components of the training programme are: theater art training, life-skills counseling, development of basic economic knowledge, individual occupational counseling program, experiential pedagogical workshops, personalized coaching, regular meetings with a peer group and broadening the cultural horizon (theater and museum visits and common interpretation of what is seen)

The primary short and long-term goal of the Art-Ravaló project is to develop clients’ personalities through pedagogical and psychological methods. It is necessary, as the members of the target group of the programme are characterised by a lack of suitable family background, a personality injured due to difficult circumstances, and antisocial behaviour is also common. Using the professional approach of foster homes and institutes, the programme seeks to continue the pedagogical and development work of educators working in homes with the power of art therapy and first-hand experience. Due to their circumstances, young people raised in public care do not have such an experience at all or only to a small extent. This is also a mistake as these tools could provide an effective complement to the day-to-day educational work carried out under strict rules. In this age group, banning and silencing do not prove to be effective. At the same time, living our own experiences on an emotional level develops the personality, from which we can rightly expect positive changes in the long run. Unfortunately, there are large numbers of young people living in foster homes who are involved in child prostitution, either as victims or as pimps, which is almost inevitably linked to drug use and, as a consequence, sometimes crime. Due to the personality status and antisocial behaviour of these severely injured young adults, the primary goal of the project is to improve their personalities through pedagogical and psychological methods. This serves crime prevention purposes so that young people do not become perpetrators or victims of crime.

One of the main symptoms of personality disorders in young people growing up in foster homes and other disadvantaged conditions is the undeveloped or negative system of values ​​and norms, from which their various acts of violence can also result. Thus, the primary task of re-socialisation is to create a new, socially accepted value orientation, to dismantle their old system of dissociative-antisocial norms, and to help the emergence of a stronger self-image and a positive vision. The application of art therapy, literature, poetry, and acting is one of the most obvious tools to achieve this goal. Creative artistic activity based on personal experience, development from external control to self-regulatory functions are also excellent tools, which are suitable for supplementing and further developing the consistent educational processes established in the institutes. These processes of self-healing have a personality development force that can later help participants integrate into society. By participating in the project, young people can build new relationships with a group – artists – whose attitudes are completely different from their previous experiences. These new impressions can open up new opportunities for them in the development of a positive vision, which can also help to stop the process of criminalisation that may have already begun.

Several of our participants in the Art-Ravaló project came from Juvenile Correctional Institution or Special Children’s Home and the programme brought them many positive changes. In relation to one of our young participants who was involved in a criminal procedure, the acting judge, by changing his previous decision, thought that he would have a better place in our programme and be able to achieve greater change than in the correctional institution. He was imprisoned when he started the programme, but eventually received a suspended penalty instead. A young person from another correctional institution also completed a part of his final year of serving his sentence in the project. Another participant came from extreme poverty. Today she is the one to support her family members at home from her salary. Participants in the programme include former drug users or victims of abuse, who were all able to report progress to us by analyzing their participation in the project. Their example also shows how gap-filling this project is, offering participants an alternative to restructuring their previous lifestyle, and enter their adult lives with a renewed approach, daily routine, and motivation.

On the one hand, this programme provides all the security and framework that a Correctional Institution program can provide. On the other hand, the programme offers even more, as art-based training, alternative education, and the transfer of practical competencies can provide holistic, whole-personality training for those most in need.

One of the important goals of the programme is to support participating young adults in both their successful integration into society and their effectiveness in finding employment, as the two are inseparable.

Want to learn more about the programme and the organisations involved? Visit the following websites:

https://szubjektiv.org/en/

http://faktorterminal.hu/index.php 

Written by OSA

 

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Stopping Bullying: ICDI gives children a voice
Stopping Bullying: ICDI gives children a voice 1024 576 our civic space

Stopping Bullying: ICDI gives children a voice

On the National Day against Bullying (on 19 April) attention is paid in the Netherlands to bullying in schools, sports clubs and other places where children come together.

In the Netherlands, approximately one out of ten children in primary school is bullied. Bullying is a painful experience and inevitably affects the complete development of children. From stress, anxiety, sleep problems to suicide attempts: the consequences can be very serious. Bullying in schools happens everywhere. Although children are always affected, their perspective is rarely present in anti-bullying programmes.

Therefore, in 2016, ICDI participated in a project that aimed to involve children in preventing bullying and in creating a safe environment at school in a participatory and empowering way. The project addressed bullying at many levels: individual, school and local community. Children, together with their teachers, as well as child-care workers and policy maker were targeted.

In a booklet the child perspective on bullying was presented. Children were asked to share their views, what they feel and think and what their fears and expectations are about safety at school. Together with the help of their teachers, a sustainable approach was created, applicable in the everyday work against school violence or, as children themselves said, “to have tools that we can fix with”.

Read the booklet here:  LISTEN! What children have to tell us about bullying and safety at school

Written by ICDI

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Karantréning every day! – An alternative exercise programme of the Oltalom Sport Association during quarantine
Karantréning every day! – An alternative exercise programme of the Oltalom Sport Association during quarantine 1280 1023 our civic space

Karantréning every day! – An alternative exercise programme of the Oltalom Sport Association during quarantine

At OSA, like many other partners, for the time of the mandatory quarantine we are forced to suspend one of our most important activities: football training sessions. Nevertheless, we found a way to not only keep in touch with our players, but also give them the training experience: we moved these events to the online space!

The Budapest-based Oltalom Sports Association started to practice sports as a personality-shaping, therapeutic activity in 2005. One of the cornerstones of our activity is our football training held in the capital and in other locations in the countryside on a weekly basis. In addition to educating children about a healthy lifestyle, regular sport also offers useful leisure activities for players lacking stability and regularity in their life.

With the mandatory quarantine and the precautionary measures introduced in the meantime, we were unable to continue our training sessions. At the same time, our goal was to maintain and even improve the physical and mental health of our players. To this end, we have created our “Karantréning” programme, during which we run an online exercise programme six days a week, led and moderated by coaches represented by our own and some external organisations.

Those who want to practice sport can join us through the online video room we have created. We welcome not only our certified players, but everyone interested. Led by a trained coach as well as a social worker, our trainings run for an average of 40-45 minutes. As we also teach participants new exercises and movement elements, we considered it important that in addition to the coach presenting the exercises, our social worker also participates in the session, in order to give feedback on the correct implementation of the exercises and possible areas of improvement.

To achieve our goal, in line with the spirit of civic space, we have created a platform on which the transfer and education of different approaches and working methods – from strength training and ball exercises to yoga practices – become accomplishable. In order to create as diverse training opportunities as possible, we provided our players with various sports equipment, such as fitness rubber bands.

For this purpose we have involved some of our partners, including the German Brandenburgische Sportjugend, the Czech Fotbal Pro Rozvoj and the Indian Slum Soccer, with whom we have been cooperating for many years in various projects. In addition, Ádám Szabados, a football freestyler, Hungarian champion and a world record holder football juggler, also held trainings with us.

The number of participants usually ranges from 5 to 15. For many of them, the accuracy and regularity of the exercises were significantly improved. In addition, thanks to strength training, the amount of exercises performed has also increased. One of the key members of the participants, Orsolya Katzer, also commented on the online training: “I really enjoy quarantine training for two reasons. Almost every night instructors and training associates “move” into my living room for an hour, helping me to get through this hard period. In addition, with a variety of exercises I am able to keep my body and soul in shape.”

When our “OSE Quarantine” programme was launched, we tested various video chat applications, looking for the most suitable one for our programme. In addition to high quality, it was expected that the social worker would be able to turn participants’ microphones on and off – so that they could hear constructive feedback from the social worker on how to perform their movements – and highlight the coach’s camera image.

After trying several apps, Google Meets proved to be the most convincing. We were pleased to find that our participants were open to different forms of motion, too, so we recommend everyone to incorporate yoga exercises into their workouts, in addition to strengthening exercises, and even hold a separate full-length yoga class!

From the very beginning of the coronavirus situation, we considered it a priority to preserve the physical and mental health of our players and to help them do sports at home. Our quarantine training programme is perfectly suited to achieve this goal.

Written by OSA

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Working together to tackle Covid-19
Working together to tackle Covid-19 2560 1707 our civic space

Working together to tackle Covid-19

Currently, people and countries all over the world are tackling the COVID-19 pandemic. Worldwide measures are being taken to prevent the virus from spreading further. This resulted in lock down situations worldwide. These measures have unfortunately influenced ISA’s work in different ways. However, there is much we as a team can and will do to keep on working on our mission and support the world to overcome this crisis.

During the first months of the pandemic, the ISA team has worked hard on creating a COVID-19 awareness plan for both West and East Africa, in order to protect the thousands of young people and their families who we want to impact through our work. We believe we need to take responsibility and play a role in ensuring everyone is properly informed, stays physically active and has a healthy lifestyle at home. ISA’s youth and coaches are local advocates of this awareness plan to increase the awareness through different activities and initiatives carried out by and for them – and their communities. Through them, ISA hopes to impact the community by: correctly informing and convincing our partners, colleagues, coaches and communities about COVID-19 to ensure that the awareness increases and thus keeping the ISA family physically active and healthy. Through this awareness plan, we aspire to see ISA partner organisations, coaches / mentors, youth, families and communities become role models and advocates within their communities.

“If sport teaches us anything, it is that teamwork is essential and that together we are stronger. In the same way, we shall overcome COVID-19 if we work together. Likewise, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is a pathway towards a sustainable future for all, leaving no one behind, with peaceful and inclusive societies, and a healthy planet. We can only get there by working together. Sport plays an important advocative role in combatting the spread of diseases and highlighting the importance of international solidarity. In times of crisis, fear and anxiety can consume us. Alone, it seems, we can do very little, but working together, we can do so much. Even though sporting events have come to a halt for now, athletes, major and small sports leagues and community sports organisations deliver messages of positivity — connecting us with each other. Sport is bringing people and communities together, helping us find common ground, regardless of ethnicity, religion or political affiliation” (UN, 2020).

Together we need to stay strong, follow the given measures and fight this pandemic. Through different measures ISA is helping our family to stay healthy. With enough commitment from everyone, we can efficiently fight this pandemic!

Written by ISA

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The unique power of football can improve the world: the Oltalom Sport Assosiation (OSA) wants to release this power!
The unique power of football can improve the world: the Oltalom Sport Assosiation (OSA) wants to release this power! 2560 1707 our civic space

The unique power of football can improve the world: the Oltalom Sport Assosiation (OSA) wants to release this power!

With the help of football, we make the lives of disadvantaged adults and children fuller. Through regular trainings, homeless people living in deep poverty, young people living in correctional facilities and refugees are given the opportunity to shape their destiny with the help of our sports and social services (job search, language training).

We are building a bridge between conflicting social groups with our Fair Play football Roadshow tournament. In the matches of our cross-border series of events, important local actors, municipalities, police officers, local clubs and teams from disadvantaged communities shape the rules of their game through democratic dialogue to take the spirit of a cooperative community with them when they leave the field and they return in their everyday life.

Behind the above ideas is a vision for community building. As a civil society organisation, this plays a central role in the life of OSA too. The community, as a retaining force, has help and support for the target group, in this case young people and young adults, due to several aspects:

  • Opportunity to belong somewhere
    Young people experience a sense of belonging somewhere. This doesn’t always come naturally.  Some young people and young adults don’t experience this at all due to their family background and/or current situation. The opportunity to belong somewhere gives them security. Young people can experience that where they go to, the young workers, and another young people are waiting for them, and turn to them with joy and openness. This creates the opportunity for communication.
  • Possibility to connect
    By involving youth in the organisation of programmes for young people and young adults, they can experience and develop their own competencies. Many of them lack positive reinforcement after their actions. To offset this, their involvement in the implementation of programmes for young people helps a lot. After that, they talk about what was good for them and what they could do better next time.
  • Opportunity for free expression
    In many cases, young people don’t have the opportunity to freely express their thoughts in an athmosphere where they are listened to and not criticised for their thoughts, their point of view. This is another aspect at which our programmes can really make a difference.
  • Opportunity to get better at something
    The self-organised programmes ran by OSA involve young people and young adults. The primary goal is to show and teach young people what it means to take responsibility for themselves. Feedback after completing a task helps them understand what it means to take responsibility for themselves and their peers.
  • Opportunity to make connections
    They meet young people who are in a similar situation, so they can experience that they are not alone in the situations they find themselves in. At the same time, they can see examples of the possible roads that lay ahead of them. Working together with older, more experienced people for a few years, could inspire and motivate young people to progress and improve their lives.
  • An opportunity to support the development of an orderly lifestyle
    With the weekly trainings that young people visit week by week, it is possible to incorporate fixed points and programmes in their lives that give a framework to their everyday lives. It gives a system to their lives. An important aspect is that a commitment to these programmes develops when young people feel comfortable with them.

Finally: the pandemic
The pandemic situation has generated some significant changes in the life of OSA. It inspired the organisation to look for new paths, with a focus on involving and retaining young people in regular training sessions. Even stronger, more supportive communication is needed in which players feel they are not alone. Among the existential and other challenges and crises that appear in their everyday lives, the supportive athmosphere becomes even more important. It is therefore important for civil society organisations to be present in the lives of members of their target groups when they need them. This is reflected not only in the fact that NGOs carry out activities that support their daily lives, such as food donations or clothing donations to the beneficiaries (as OSA does on a regular basis), but also in creating a supportive atmosphere in which young people feel that they are not alone. Perhaps the biggest benefit for NGOs in recent times has been finding new solutions to this and incorporating them into their day-to-day work.

Written by OSA

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