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Living diversity - appreciating differences
Start date: Aug 1, 2014, End date: Jan 31, 2016 PROJECT  FINISHED 

In the AWO Pirnaer Werkstätten work more than 500 people with mental, physical or multiple disabilities who can not be integrated in the general labour market due to the character or degree of disability. In order to permit these people a particiption in professional life we cooperate with well-respected companies and offer them services in different areas (e.g. construction of components for car or mechanical engineering industry, activities in gardening and landscaping or office services etc.). The disabled employees are guided and supervised by employees with different professional backgrounds (technical, pedagogical or healthcare professions). People who can not work in one of these areas because of their degree of disability are supported in a different way. We offer them a daily routine in our special needs day care center. In this area we maintain a structured day, that means that the main objective is not the participation in professional life but different aspects such as occupational therapy, physical therapy or logopedics. This is the area european volunteers participate in. With the future participation of European Volunteers in our institution we want to strengthen the sympathy and the interest for other cultures and ways of living as well as intergenerational understanding. Our target is to motivate young volunteers to stand up for a social and fair society in Europe. The volunteers gain an insight in a special field of social work in Germany and get a new cultural perspective. Own attitudes towards values and norms of society as well as the view on certain processes are put into question through the voluntary service. This intercultural encounter is also a chance to start a reflection inside of the host organisation. These mutual processes foster tolerance towards differentness. The volunteers are young motivated individuals who can develop new offers, e.g. recreational activities, which can not be carried out by the staff for lack of time. They enrich with their perspectives and ideas that are influenced by their own cultural background. We are sure that the volunteers' new ideas can be integrated based on long-term considerations in the daily routine in order to contribute to a quality intensification. The implementation of the European Voluntary is a possibility for us to make a contribution to more openness in society.
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