CIVIL SOCIETY: 269 PRACTICES
The Center is operating in the roots searching area and maintains a “Research” and “Registration” databank for those in search of their roots. The data maintenance is performed under the auspices of the Hellenic Data Protection Authority.
Read more: www.roots-research-center.gr
Our project is addressed to young people who live in residential care and care leavers and l provide them educational skills information, empowerment and informational training on social issues, in order to be able to face society when they will have to leave residential care, also to care leavers who still face social problems. Young people will be able and capable to enroll to the community from which they were cut off. We plan the continuation of this project with a pilot supervised housing programme in order to support the gaps of vulnerable young care leavers.Our aim and goal are to see young careleavers develop their social inclusion, have working development and live independently and happy with their selves.
The target audience is young people who live in residential care and care leavers. These young people after they become 18 years old or less they have to leave from the institutional care and are out to nowhere as they have no family environment or other services to host them and support their inclusion, they have low educational skills and are unable to live independently in the community. The gap of housing is a big problem because they feel insecure and they face of every kind of The number of young people is 800 who are ready to receive these services.
The programme runs for 3 years and our next step is the expansion of the pilot project of the supervised housing programme.
We planned a warming, home type Day center "Youth Hub" where young people receive informational training with seminars from experts in order to receive working skills, psychological support and empowerment, meanwhile, they can enjoy themselves with hobbies they already have or would like to start. Professionals support them with various services, in the apartment which is built for their own conveniences.Young people take part in social and athletic activities. The extension of this project is a supervised apartment so they can practice what they have learned and how they can organize their life. Many care leavers have no place to stay when they exit the institution and they are forced to stop receiving our services. Supervised housing will empower them and make them feel safe and have someone to turn too when they feel weak. This practice will start at the end of 2018 and will be a pilot two-year project, which is operating with success in Balkan countries.
The program has two main effects on young people who are and will be supported and will have the opportunity to enter social life with self-esteem and advanced personal skills. Working skills and information, modern practices and technology will empower them. The program is of great importance, concerning that these young people have lived without family environment and care compared to the way other young people lived.Due to the results of the National survey (mapping institutional care in Greece see report.EKKA) for Institutions such service is of great urgency and need. When the new project of the supervised house will operate at the end of 2018 for at least 3-4 young care leavers it will show the values of our programme and its continuation, Because now some care leaver has no place to live and they have to quit the programme. This project of supervised housing has been highly evaluated in other countries and we hope that it will have the same success in Greece for the wellbeing of care leavers.
Place of implementation is the city of Byronas where our organization is based, planning as well as the expansion of the project by the end of 2018 in the same area.
We cooperate with many professionals and associations which provide working skills and activities for young people. Next step is to cooperate with FSCI Foundation for Social Inclusion who are the founders of the project in Balkan countries, who run this project with great success..
Our organization has received a good evaluation from international organizations and particularly FSCI who recognised the value and importance of the project and wants to cooperate in order to benefit and to expand our project and its positive outcomes to other areas of Greece, except Athens in cooperation with other organizations who would like to support young people, who live in residential care or care leavers and where they have nowhere to address for support. Our experience and the training we have got from EU experts will bring good results which will help other programmes to be of use, for example, the supervised apartment for care leavers which will be operating soon.
