Innovative practices in Bulgaria
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Early prevention of deviant behavior in children and adolescents
Municipal Children's Complex - Mizia
Background
In the Municipality of Mizia the problems of raising children in the family and at school stand out against the background of 30% unemployment, poverty, illiteracy and low standards of living, especially among the Roma population. The population in the Municipality of Mizia is 9600 people. The total number of children going to school is 1028. 180 of them are at high risk. The escalation of children s delinquency, the juvenile anti social behavior as well as the negative phenomena among young people drug addiction, smoking, drinking alcohol, violence and aggression call for effective solutions.
These problems provoked the idea of the Project for early prevention of deviant behavior in children and adolescents developed by a team from the Municipal Committee for Juvenile and Minor Delinguents in the town of Mizia and the Center for Preventive Activity in the town of Kozlodui submitted by the Board of Trustees of the Municipal children s Complex Mizia and supported by the Education Department, The School Committee for Juvenile and Minor Delinquents and the school managing bodies, the police departments in Mizia and Oriahovo, the Court and Prosecution in Oriahovo, and the Municipal Social Service.
In the Municipality of Mizia the problems of raising children in the family and at school stand out against the background of 30% unemployment, poverty, illiteracy and low standards of living, especially among the Roma population. The population in the Municipality of Mizia is 9600 people. The total number of children going to school is 1028. 180 of them are at high risk. The escalation of children s delinquency, the juvenile anti social behavior as well as the negative phenomena among young people drug addiction, smoking, drinking alcohol, violence and aggression call for effective solutions.
These problems provoked the idea of the Project for early prevention of deviant behavior in children and adolescents developed by a team from the Municipal Committee for Juvenile and Minor Delinguents in the town of Mizia and the Center for Preventive Activity in the town of Kozlodui submitted by the Board of Trustees of the Municipal children s Complex Mizia and supported by the Education Department, The School Committee for Juvenile and Minor Delinquents and the school managing bodies, the police departments in Mizia and Oriahovo, the Court and Prosecution in Oriahovo, and the Municipal Social Service.
Practice
The implementation of the Project is connected with the early discovery, psychological diagnosis and prevention of hazardous behavior in children. What is meant by early is that the origin and first manifestations are promptly stopped. The target groups of the Project are the children from the Municipality of Mizia; parents; pedagogical staff; school managing bodies; community and non-governmental organizations.
The Project is funded by the US Agency for International Development through FLGR s Danube Initiative Program. It started in February 2001 and continued for 4 months.
Repair and program activities were carried out within the project. Five rooms in the Municipal children s complex in Mizia and a toilet were repaired. The rooms are used now for computer training, consultations on problems of the children s personality, education, a room for Silent Games and rest. The premises can be used not only for work with children and adolescents at risk but for all the other children of the Municipality of Mizia.
A room was equipped with 4 computers and one printer giving access to computer training to children at risk. It aims to introduce them to a different, new environment provoking the development of new skills and their imagination and offering an alternative to their behavior. This is an opportunity for the children to get new knowledge and skills to use computers and the Internet.
Different specialists a psychologist, pedagogues, social workers, a lawyer, a doctor, etc. work on the Consultative Board on the problems of children s personality. They consult children at risk and their parents.
The program activities of the Project started with a preparatory stage. The partners in the Project the specialists from the Center for Preventive Activity - Kozlodui (a psychologist and a pedagogue) carried out 6 training sessions for the members of the Municipal Committee for Juvenile and Minor delinquents and 36 children to acquire leadership skills and training skills for the prevention of drug addiction, alcohol abuse, smoking and AIDS.
Within the framework of the financial support of USAID in March 2001 in the village of Ribaritsa a training of specialists in the problems of children with deviant behavior (a psychologist, pedagogues, social workers, social educators, representatives of the Law Court, the Prosecution and the Police) took place. The topics included Coordinating the efforts for correction of children s deviant behavior and Drug addiction as a deviation. The lecturers were from the Institute on Addictions in Sofia . 44 specialists from the Municipality of Mizia and Kozlodui took part.
The second stage of the Program activities was carried out in April 2001 in the village of Ribaritsa where the teams of children from SOS Friends clubs Kozlodui trained the children from the Municipality of Mizia under the Program Children train children . There were 4 training sessions by teams in prevention of smoking, alcoholism, drug addiction and AIDS. 120 children participated in the training along with leaders from the Municipality of Mizia and Kozlodui. During their free time the children went hiking, danced in a disco, celebrated the anniversary of the SOS Friends Club Kozlodui, and had a contest for Miss and Mister Health.
The implementation of the Project is connected with the early discovery, psychological diagnosis and prevention of hazardous behavior in children. What is meant by early is that the origin and first manifestations are promptly stopped. The target groups of the Project are the children from the Municipality of Mizia; parents; pedagogical staff; school managing bodies; community and non-governmental organizations.
The Project is funded by the US Agency for International Development through FLGR s Danube Initiative Program. It started in February 2001 and continued for 4 months.
Repair and program activities were carried out within the project. Five rooms in the Municipal children s complex in Mizia and a toilet were repaired. The rooms are used now for computer training, consultations on problems of the children s personality, education, a room for Silent Games and rest. The premises can be used not only for work with children and adolescents at risk but for all the other children of the Municipality of Mizia.
A room was equipped with 4 computers and one printer giving access to computer training to children at risk. It aims to introduce them to a different, new environment provoking the development of new skills and their imagination and offering an alternative to their behavior. This is an opportunity for the children to get new knowledge and skills to use computers and the Internet.
Different specialists a psychologist, pedagogues, social workers, a lawyer, a doctor, etc. work on the Consultative Board on the problems of children s personality. They consult children at risk and their parents.
The program activities of the Project started with a preparatory stage. The partners in the Project the specialists from the Center for Preventive Activity - Kozlodui (a psychologist and a pedagogue) carried out 6 training sessions for the members of the Municipal Committee for Juvenile and Minor delinquents and 36 children to acquire leadership skills and training skills for the prevention of drug addiction, alcohol abuse, smoking and AIDS.
Within the framework of the financial support of USAID in March 2001 in the village of Ribaritsa a training of specialists in the problems of children with deviant behavior (a psychologist, pedagogues, social workers, social educators, representatives of the Law Court, the Prosecution and the Police) took place. The topics included Coordinating the efforts for correction of children s deviant behavior and Drug addiction as a deviation. The lecturers were from the Institute on Addictions in Sofia . 44 specialists from the Municipality of Mizia and Kozlodui took part.
The second stage of the Program activities was carried out in April 2001 in the village of Ribaritsa where the teams of children from SOS Friends clubs Kozlodui trained the children from the Municipality of Mizia under the Program Children train children . There were 4 training sessions by teams in prevention of smoking, alcoholism, drug addiction and AIDS. 120 children participated in the training along with leaders from the Municipality of Mizia and Kozlodui. During their free time the children went hiking, danced in a disco, celebrated the anniversary of the SOS Friends Club Kozlodui, and had a contest for Miss and Mister Health.
Results
The following results were achieved:
- 36 children from the Municipality of Mizia were trained and acquired skills in preventive activity. They successfully conducted training among other children of the same age and for an year after the project already they have carried out training of about 80 hours at 5 schools under the Program Children train Children in the class teacher s lessons. They conducted training, sports competitions, contests, commemorated the International days against smoking and AIDS;
- 25 specialists from the Municipality of Mizia, involved in the problems of children at high risk, were trained to identify deviant behavior and ways to correct it;
- The Center for Preventive Activity Kozlodui shared its experience with the Municipal Committee for Juvenile and Minor Delinquents - Mizia and thus established cooperation on regional level;
- An efficient institution for helping children was set up on the basis of cooperation between NGO, the Board of Trustees of the Municpal Children s Complex Mizia, the Municipality of Mizia, the Police Department, the Law Court and the Prosecution in Oriahovo.
- The attention and participation of parents as volunteers was encouraged the project activities and continued after its completion.
- In January 2002 a Municipal program was approved, focused on protecting the health and lives of the children in the Municipality of Mizia. The Municipal Council in Mizia voted funds for many sports, ecological and creative events for the children as well as for activities connected with healthy living.
The following results were achieved:
- 36 children from the Municipality of Mizia were trained and acquired skills in preventive activity. They successfully conducted training among other children of the same age and for an year after the project already they have carried out training of about 80 hours at 5 schools under the Program Children train Children in the class teacher s lessons. They conducted training, sports competitions, contests, commemorated the International days against smoking and AIDS;
- 25 specialists from the Municipality of Mizia, involved in the problems of children at high risk, were trained to identify deviant behavior and ways to correct it;
- The Center for Preventive Activity Kozlodui shared its experience with the Municipal Committee for Juvenile and Minor Delinquents - Mizia and thus established cooperation on regional level;
- An efficient institution for helping children was set up on the basis of cooperation between NGO, the Board of Trustees of the Municpal Children s Complex Mizia, the Municipality of Mizia, the Police Department, the Law Court and the Prosecution in Oriahovo.
- The attention and participation of parents as volunteers was encouraged the project activities and continued after its completion.
- In January 2002 a Municipal program was approved, focused on protecting the health and lives of the children in the Municipality of Mizia. The Municipal Council in Mizia voted funds for many sports, ecological and creative events for the children as well as for activities connected with healthy living.
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