After in-depth survey of the available statistical information from all the schools within the Municipality of Bobov dol, the project team concluded, that there was a progressive increase in the number of students , who have committed acts of crime, threatened by early school dropping out or are under various types of alcohol or drugs addition. Major part of these children was living under a great social and potential criminal risk. This determined the formulation of the project objectives and outlined an innovative method to provide timely assistance to the children at risk through joint efforts among young people and adults.
In order to successfully achieve the project objectives, the project team undertook the following steps:
- Widely announced the start of the project within the local community through media, posters and public announcements.
- A survey has been conducted among the children from the school, aiming to measure the psychological status of the children from the target groups and identify their existing needs.
- An interactive training programme has been designed, with the assistance of psychologists.
- The created initiative group of young people have been trained together with other children from local schools.
- All schoolchildren were involved in a series of information lectures and interactive discussions titled We can do this together! and Lets lend a helping hand focusing on conflict resolution, combating aggression and alcohol use.
- A large information and awareness raising campaign has been opened throughout the community regarding the unspoken so far problems of the young people. This increased also the engagement and active attitude on behalf of the parents of children at risk and improved the family and social environment at the local level.
- The children were involved in a variety of activities, which fulfilled their free time and encouraged them to take part in charity and volunteers` campaigns; many children and their parents contributed to the charity campaign for the children in the Mentally Disabled Children Facility in the village of Gorna Koznitsa.
- Young people from the school organised visits to the Child Facility and prepared drawings and surprises for their friends in the village.
All project events were jointly implemented by the partners representatives from the municipality and local non-governmental organisation. The main project approach was to involved not only the children from the target groups in the project implementation, but ensure wide participation from all the children in the school, their parents and the local community. This approach turned out to be an effective and working mechanism.
The project team believes that the positive influence upon the children at risk after the project implementation is very strong and at the same time many other social groups benefited from the realisation of the idea.
More than 400 children were involved in various initiatives, such as training, information and awareness raising campaigns, cleaning of central public spaces and the school yard, visits to the child care institutions in the village of Gorna Koznitsa.
The overall project objectives require long-term efforts and initiatives, but the analysis of the achieved so far shows, that:
the project team has increased its capacity to identify the existing problems of the children and young people and design adequate solutions to address them.
The level of awareness and activeness on behalf of the children and their parents has been increased;
12 children were trained within the school and they will continue working with their friends and schoolmates on the problems related to crime prevention and anti-drugs campaigns;
The number of the children who were within the group of the children at risk from dropping-out from school has been decreased;
The overall self-confidence of the young people has been encouraged and common initiatives were organised, together with other community representatives, directed toward the solving of a public problem, or improving the social environment.
Contacts:
Tatyana Kalfina
Nikola Yonkov Vaptsarov school board
Municipality of Bobov dol
Tel.: (0702) 3903
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