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Sorces of Inspiration!
Sorces of Inspiration!
Start date: Mar 1, 2015,
End date: Dec 31, 2015
PROJECT
FINISHED
Jaunatne Par is working with different groups of disadvantaged young people - handicapped young people, young offenders, unemployed, single parents, former drug and alcohol addicts, national and sexual minorities. We have been trying to find the EVS hosting projects to those people and we do not succeed very often, because they can not compete with the advantaged volunteers, who will make much bigger asset to the hosting organization. All these young people are complaining about the society, which is not tolerant enough to someone who is different, but turns out they are not tolerant to the other disadvantaged groups as well.
Therefore, we decided to write the project which will unite young persons from different groups of disadvantages. We selected the organizations who have had previous experience or are willing to work with young offenders and handicapped persons. We have already sent young offenders and handicapped persons to EFM, Poland. We have been personally inspecting the projects sights during our 7 years cooperation with EFM, Poland. We have had a year long cooperation with „SofDagi”, Turkey. We know them as very reliable sending and coordinating organization. „Team for Youth” Romania we know personally from participation in projects organized by EFM, where we have met already 4 times.
Project “Sources of Inspiration!” was specially designed for 3 couples of 1 disabled volunteer and 1 disadvantaged person. These where volunteers, who required an assistant/reinforced mentorship to facilitate them during their EVS. By working together and solving everyday problems they had to overcome their prejudice and stereotypes towards each other. It was learning not only for disabled and disadvantaged volunteers, but also for their sending and receiving organizations staff and advantaged volunteers as well. We discovered that all people are unique human beings with their special abilities and talents, no matter what they look like, what is their background and nationality. they just need to have the same oportunities, that is all.
The EVS activities took place in EFM, (Poland) 01.05.2015.- 27.10.2015.Team for Youth, (Romania) 01.05.2015.- 27.10.2015.and SofDagi, (Turkey) from 07.05.2015.- 2.11.2015.
The volunteer tasks were mostly connected with working with children and young people, fasilitating teachers or creating lessons on their own, youth information and culture presentation.
The impact of this project was the positive example for other young people with less opportunities. It raised the level of participation of young handicapped people and young persons with disadvantages in social processes. It also inspired the other friendly organizations working with EVS to host young disadvantaged people.
Our partners all are active in EVS and they have plans to become even more active in future. The volunteers returned home inspired and self-confident and esily joined the labor market, which seemed to be impossible task before. We can easily say - this project has changed lives! Evija Masinska is working in the shop, Aleksejs Prokofjevs is working in the reception of the hotel. Anna Aleksejeva got married and moved to Ukraine and she is also working in the shop. Zanis Paeglis is continuing volunteering outside EVS framework. Lasma Zikova is active in NGOs in Jekabpils and working on the new book of poetry. Lasma can not get an employment, because her apartment building and the infrastructure around the house is not adjusted to disabled persons. She can not get uotside without an asistant.
Our partner organizations were happy about the acomplishments and shared the results of the project with other friendly organizations, who also got inspired by our project.