Innovative practices in Bulgaria
Sharing innovations for improving local self-government
Youth Day Center "16+"
Free and Democratic Bulgaria Foundation<br>Youth day Center "16+"
Background
Since 1993 Free and Democratic Bulgaria Foundation has been working under a program for assisting unsupervised children in Sofia. After the initial stage devoted to street work, in December 1995 the Center for Work with Unsupervised Children Faith, Hope and Love , first of its kind in Bulgaria, was opened. Over 480 children at the age of 3 to 16 years have looked for shelter and protection in this center to present. At the end of 1998 the European Commission approved a project for establishing the St. Sofia Social Complex. It provided for continuation of the activity of the Faith, Hope and Love Center, as well as for establishing a Youth Day Center 16+ to provide assistance and services to homeless and unemployed young people at the age between 16 and 25 years a social group placed out of the main spheres of public activity education, healthcare, social protection, labor market.
Since 1993 Free and Democratic Bulgaria Foundation has been working under a program for assisting unsupervised children in Sofia. After the initial stage devoted to street work, in December 1995 the Center for Work with Unsupervised Children Faith, Hope and Love , first of its kind in Bulgaria, was opened. Over 480 children at the age of 3 to 16 years have looked for shelter and protection in this center to present. At the end of 1998 the European Commission approved a project for establishing the St. Sofia Social Complex. It provided for continuation of the activity of the Faith, Hope and Love Center, as well as for establishing a Youth Day Center 16+ to provide assistance and services to homeless and unemployed young people at the age between 16 and 25 years a social group placed out of the main spheres of public activity education, healthcare, social protection, labor market.
Practice
The Youth Day Center 16+ was opened on September 29, 1999. It is situated in a building in the area of Podujane railway station, conceded for free use by the Bulgarian State Railways Company. The Cooperating Netherlands Foundations granted the financial resources for its repair.
The team of the Youth Day Center 16+ works on several basic programs:
- Program for medical treatment of young people, health prevention and prophylactic, directed primarily to the total improving of their health condition, getting under control the epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases in their group (more than 80% are affected), limitation and treatment of their dependency on narcotic and intoxicating substances. In this aspect the team of the Center works successfully with a several organizations: Physicians without Borders , Initiative for Health , Health and Social Environment , Bulgarian Association for Family Planning, and Institute for Emergency Medical Assistance Pirogov .
- Program for developing literacy and enhancing the education of young people visiting the Center, performed together with the Balkan Foundation for Intercultural Education and Understanding Diversity .
- Program for providing main identity documents. The work under the program would be impossible without cooperation with the police and the local social security services, as well as partnership with Bulgarian Lawyers for Human Rights.
- Program for professional qualification and attending various short-term courses for acquiring a profession. In order to work under this program, the Center has relied on the assistance of the Labor Bureau and lately on the assistance of the Foundation Center for Social Adaptation .
The involving of every single young man in one of the current programs of the Center was preceded by hard work for creating personal motivation for participation, and for overcoming over the depressive feeling of social condemnation and apathy.
For three of the young people jobs was found with the Wolf Company; three of them got identity documents; two of them were settled at a special subsidiary school; 15 of the young people from the country were assisted to continue their education at their native places; 17 of them with severe diseases were accommodated in hospitals; 19 of those with heroin dependency were included in a program for a treatment with methadon. Young people were assisted in finding GPs and dentists, 4 of the girls visiting the Center became mothers and the team helped them to ensure appropriate conditions for bringing up their children one of them was accommodated in a special home and the other three with their relatives and friends.
The Youth Day Center 16+ was opened on September 29, 1999. It is situated in a building in the area of Podujane railway station, conceded for free use by the Bulgarian State Railways Company. The Cooperating Netherlands Foundations granted the financial resources for its repair.
The team of the Youth Day Center 16+ works on several basic programs:
- Program for medical treatment of young people, health prevention and prophylactic, directed primarily to the total improving of their health condition, getting under control the epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases in their group (more than 80% are affected), limitation and treatment of their dependency on narcotic and intoxicating substances. In this aspect the team of the Center works successfully with a several organizations: Physicians without Borders , Initiative for Health , Health and Social Environment , Bulgarian Association for Family Planning, and Institute for Emergency Medical Assistance Pirogov .
- Program for developing literacy and enhancing the education of young people visiting the Center, performed together with the Balkan Foundation for Intercultural Education and Understanding Diversity .
- Program for providing main identity documents. The work under the program would be impossible without cooperation with the police and the local social security services, as well as partnership with Bulgarian Lawyers for Human Rights.
- Program for professional qualification and attending various short-term courses for acquiring a profession. In order to work under this program, the Center has relied on the assistance of the Labor Bureau and lately on the assistance of the Foundation Center for Social Adaptation .
The involving of every single young man in one of the current programs of the Center was preceded by hard work for creating personal motivation for participation, and for overcoming over the depressive feeling of social condemnation and apathy.
For three of the young people jobs was found with the Wolf Company; three of them got identity documents; two of them were settled at a special subsidiary school; 15 of the young people from the country were assisted to continue their education at their native places; 17 of them with severe diseases were accommodated in hospitals; 19 of those with heroin dependency were included in a program for a treatment with methadon. Young people were assisted in finding GPs and dentists, 4 of the girls visiting the Center became mothers and the team helped them to ensure appropriate conditions for bringing up their children one of them was accommodated in a special home and the other three with their relatives and friends.
Results
The social workers team has accumulated useful experience with regard to the numerous hard problems of the unsupervised young people, as well as the best practices for solving and relieving these problems. Behind each figure given below there is a lot of work for overcoming numerous obstacles.
The Youth Day Center has been operating for over 18 months already. Over 150 young people have used its services for a different period of time to present. Men comprise 62%, women 38%; 92,8% of them are of Roma origin, 2% are Bulgarians, and 5,2% are of other origin.
The work of the Center s team has provoked the interest of other non-governmental organizations and a number of governmental services. Students from Sofia University Faculty of Pedagogy and Faculty of Primary and Nursery Pedagogy conduct their training courses there.
The social workers team has accumulated useful experience with regard to the numerous hard problems of the unsupervised young people, as well as the best practices for solving and relieving these problems. Behind each figure given below there is a lot of work for overcoming numerous obstacles.
The Youth Day Center has been operating for over 18 months already. Over 150 young people have used its services for a different period of time to present. Men comprise 62%, women 38%; 92,8% of them are of Roma origin, 2% are Bulgarians, and 5,2% are of other origin.
The work of the Center s team has provoked the interest of other non-governmental organizations and a number of governmental services. Students from Sofia University Faculty of Pedagogy and Faculty of Primary and Nursery Pedagogy conduct their training courses there.
[Nominate]
back