In the context of transition from institutional to community based care of children, all CEE countries face the challenge of changing the institutional culture, re-training and continuing competence development of careers and foster parents who look after the children facing multiple disadvantages and being highly exposed to the risk of social inclusion. To facilitate the development of transversal (social, creative and recreational) and professional skills of the carers and foster parents, who must be able to facilitate group living, must be excellent communicators and advocates, have to know how to access a wide range of child protection and child care legislation information, and also have to be able to create a friendly and nurturing environment by mastering the domestic skills this requires, the present project addressed the following objectives:1. Development of professional competence of trainers of carers and foster parents by offering them training curriculum, training materials and best practice models to be used in their daily work.2. Development of the transversal skills of carers and foster parents by training them in fields such as: handling challenges, working with others, verbal and non-verbal communication, creative thinking, critical thinking, learning to learn, planning own work, problem-solving , etc.Besides the immanent development of project management staffs' competencies, 12 specialists (3 from each country, psychologists, social workers) have been trained in the project on how to use the Curriculum, the Training material and the Best Practice Database produced throughout the project. The transnational joint staff training facilitated not only the professional development of the participants, but will also promoted transnational cooperation and collaborative learning of specialists in child protection beyond the lifetime of the project and beyond the borders of the participating countries.Following the transnational training the specialists in each country have organised national pilot training, using (and testing) the materials developed within the project. The training took place at various locations in Romania, Hungary, Austria and Croatia, between February-April 2016. There was a huge interest in the training in each country, so instead of participants altogether (as foreseen in the project proposal) , a number of 154 carers and foster parents (30 participants in Romania, 75 participants in Hungary, 34 participants in Croatia, 15 participants in Austria) took part in the pilots, all of them appreciating and valuing the opportunity very much. Main activities to accomplish the project objectives were: 1) Needs analysis of the target group resulting in a transnational report on training and continuing development needs of carers and foster parents - The Croatian partner (Sirius) has been coordinating the process of needs analysis and provided guidelines for doing the research work. Results of research have been collected on Wiggio group and by e-mail. The guidelines - translated and used in all countries to collect comparable data and information - included a Methodology Guideline the the following annexes: 1. Questionnaire for the individual interview addressed to foster parents, 2. Questionnaire for the individual interview addressed to carers and educators, 3. Questionnaire for the individual interview addressed to other experts, 4. Desk research template, 5. Instructions for filling templates for collecting data from individual interviews, 6. Excel chart for summarizing findings. FINDINGS of desk research and 130 interviews taken in the four countries (41 foster parents, 68 carers and 21 other experts) are summarized and extensively described in the NEEDS ANALYSIS REPORT.2) Developing a CMS based website that will host not only project information and downloadable outputs but also a best practice database: The website is avaialabe at carecomp.eu , it hosts the best practice database, general information and all intellectual outputs of the project.3) Elaboration of a Curriculum and Training Material: based on the needs analysis the partners shared the tasks of developing a Curriculum and a Training Material that meets the most urgent needs of the target group. The units of the Training materials have been elaborated in national languages then translated into English for comparison, testing and peer evaluation. Pilot testing (see above) have been successfully done in each country. The training material units have been adapted and further improved based on the feedback received during the pilot training, then the final Training material has been translated into Croatian, German, Hungarian and Romanian, illustrated and graphic edited for an attractive design and printed, presented on multiplier events and other dissemination events. All language versions are made available on the project website.

<< Background >>In 2018-2020, we implemented the MAYDAI project - Motivation and Youth Do an Innovation (Erasmus + program K2, 2018-2020), which included a research report on motivational factors of young people. The report also focused on barriers that prevent young people from engaging and volunteering. The young respondents stated that after the initial enthusiasm, there is a fear in the engagement, then the stress until it all ended in burnout and leaving the activity for which they decided.Mental health, which is the basis of physical health, is an important factor in working with young people. According to OECD statistics, 1 in 6 EU citizens suffers from some type of mental illness. Exhaustion, anxiety, depression, stress, burnout / http://bit.ly/euractiv_mental_health /According to the research by the Cleveland Clinic, world events have influenced parents' parenting methods so that children of the Z generation have not had the opportunity to develop psychological resilience through their own experiences, resulting in rapid enthusiasm and, on the other hand, rapid relief and stress. /http://bit.ly/cleveland_clinic/One of the solutions from such situations is to create a support for youth workers who are dedicated to the education and training of young leaders from the Z generation, so that they can lead them to prevent depression, stress, burnout and other negative mental health conditions.The introduction of new procedures, such as the introduction of virtual reality into the non-formal education, can also serve this purpose.Specific problems to which the project responds:1 / Young people do not have a psychological resistance to stress, solving responsibility and problems2 / Youth workers lack methodological support in leading and educating young leaders3 / Youth workers lack modern technologies that will enable them to better support and guide young leaders.<< Objectives >>Project objectives:1 / Improve non-formal education by introducing a method of using a virtual reality. Indicator: created simulations in virtual reality aimed at preventing the state of stress and burnout of young leaders.1 / Increase methodological support for youth workers for work with young leaders from various groups. Indicator: developed, verified and published methodology in 3 countries. 21 youth workers are undergoing pilot training led by non-formal education methods.2 / Support the implementation of educational blocks with the application of virtual reality in the education in youth work. Indicator: created manual for youth workers focused on the implementation of education using the technology of virtual reality.The project follows the Erasmus+ priority for young people: increasing digitization, strengthening education with digital virtual reality tools.<< Implementation >>Activities aimed at creating intellectual outputs:Output: A set of simulation activities in virtual reality focused on the prevention of stress and burnout when working with youth with case studiesOutput: Methodology of non-formal education of youth workers aimed at preventing stress and burnout in young leaders using virtual reality simulation activitiesOutput: Manual for youth workers how to implement educational blocks, methodology with simulation activities of virtual reality to work with young leadersPilot training to verify the developed methodology and a multiplier event aimed at disseminating project results.<< Results >>Results (intellectual outputs) after the end of the project:1 / Output: A set of simulation activities in virtual reality focused on the prevention of stress and burnout when working with young people with case studiesResult: Users of a set of virtual reality simulation activities will gain a new method in working with young people.Leading partner: SPACE s.r.o. / CZ /2 / Output: Methodology of non-formal education of youth workers aimed at preventing stress and burnout in young leaders using virtual reality simulation activitiesOutcome: Youth workers will acquire the competencies needed to train young leaders to prevent burnoutLeading partner: RMŽK / SK /3 / Output: manual for youth workers how to implement educational blocks, methodology with simulation activities of virtual reality to work with young leadersResult: Users of the manual will get a practical information on how to work with the methodology and virtual reality incorporated in it.Lead partner: SIRIUS / HR /

<< Background >>YOUTH MOVING aims to enhance care leavers participation in democratic life in Europe, through their empowerment as active citizens, especially addressing how to connect with, express their views and be heard by stakeholders in the alternative care field. For children and young people who have experienced living in alternative care, separated from their biological family, the process of growing up is extremely demanding because they are often left without formal support and a functional social network. They also face many other challenges that independent living brings. There is a relationship between youth's personal biography and the impact of the social and economic context in which they live, suggesting that policies and interventions can increase (but also limit) opportunities for young people coming out of alternative care to maximize their potential and ensure that they themselves are involved in shaping the services they need and receive. It is necessary to raise awareness among citizens, but especially among public policymakers about the additional support that youth from alternative care needs to express their opinion and to be given an opportunity to meet their needs in all spheres of democratic life in the community. A survey conducted on the general youth population in Croatia showed that 75% of young people think that they should have more opportunities to have their voices heard in politics, 40% think that their generation does not enjoy enough rights, and only 10% think that young people's interests are sufficiently represented in politics. Nevertheless, 80% of the respondents expressed an unwillingness to engage in any political function. Given that research has shown that successful social integration of young people depends more on family resources than on socially created conditions, young people from alternative care face an additional disadvantage when it comes to social exclusion and participation in democratic processes in the community. Available research on youth participation in democratic processes does not provide data on the participation of young people from alternative care in democratic processes. On the other hand, there is data that indicates that the opinion of young people from alternative care is still insufficiently taken into account when making decisions that affect them in all partner countries, which certainly suggests that participation in some forms of decision-making associations such as school councils and youth councils, is very modest and without an influence. The aim and activities of this project are focused on strengthening the competencies of people working with youth from alternative care, to encourage youth to actively participate in society, to overcome limitations and to provide opportunities for young people to express their opinion. All of the above will empower young people from alternative care and we will advocate for the improvement of the entire alternative care system, because the voice of those who know their reality and problems the best will be heard by people who work with them and by policy-makers.<< Objectives >>Given this context, the objectives of the project were set:1.Investigate the involvement of young people from alternative care in democratic processes in society 2.Raise awareness about the need of inclusion of young people from alternative care in democratic processes in society 3.Promote international cooperation of people working with youth from alternative care 4.Promote cross-sectoral cooperation of organizations and institutions working with youth from alternative care in representing the views of youth in the society<< Implementation >>Through the project we will produce 2 project results:PR1) Developed curriculum of workshops aimed at encouraging the participation of young people from alternative care in the democratic processes of society1.Conduct research on the involvement of youth from alternative care in democratic processes in the community (involvement in youth councils, youth associations, school councils, etc.) through the implementation of desk research, interviews (or focus groups) with young people, interviews with youth workers and policy-makers 2.Investigate good EU practice examples for active involvment of youth from alternative care in democratic processes in the community 3.Development of training materials for youth workers, based on research conducted with the aim of encouraging and teaching young people to get involved in democratic processes in the community *** after development of the material, an LTT activity will be organized - training in which youth workers and young people from alternative care will participate, and where developed materials will be implemented 4.Translation to all partner languages 5.Pilot training materials on one group of young people in each of the partner countries 6.Dissemination PR2) Developed video material for raising public awareness about the importance of participation of young people from alternative care in democratic processes- Involve young people from alternative care and youth workers in the production of video material that sends messages to youth workers and policy makers about the needs of young people from alternative care and their position in democratic processes in society 1. Preparation of the video production: finding suitable stories, creating scenario2. Filming of the video materials3. Editing the video materials4. Translation to all partner languages5. Dissemination<< Results >>Expecting to benefit around 300 people, the main expected results and impacts of the project are:1.Empower organizations involved in the project to actively advocate that views of young people from alternative care in designing the services they need and receive are taken into account2.To enable partner and associated organizations to share knowledge, insight into good practices and design the most appropriate forms of work with young people from alternative care for their more active role in society and reduction of social isolation3.To expand knowledge and competencies of people working with youth from alternative care in the field of active involvement of these young people in democratic processes in society

<< Objectives >>By implementing this project, we aim to achieve several objectives. Firstly, we want to improve the capacity of organizations and youth workers to create a more inclusive environment for young people with ADHD. This will be achieved through the development of a comprehensive Toolkit Material and subsequent Training and Capacity Building activities. Secondly, we want to provide a resource for youth with ADHD in the form of an activity book. Thirdly, we want to raise awareness about ADHD.<< Implementation >>The project activities are designed to improve the capacity of organizations and youth workers in creating an inclusive environment for young people with ADHD. These activities include the Research & Development of Toolkit Material for Youth Workers with a subsequent Training and Capacity Building activity, the development of an activity book for youth with ADHD, a campaign to raise awareness during ADHD awareness month, and communication and dissemination of project results. << Results >>The results of this project will be:1. Development of a comprehensive Toolkit Material for youth workers about young people with ADHD (YOU FOCUS Toolkit)2. Training and Capacity Building for youth workers in order to enhance their skills when working with youth belonging to this disadvantaged group. The training will be led by 2 experts and will be based on the Toolkit Material.3. Creation of an activity book for youth with ADHD4. Raise awareness during ADHD awareness month (October 2024)

The project addresses the challenges that young people leaving residential care face and it is based on the observation and real needs (as reflected in their daily practice) in the field of youth care and residential youth care of the partner organisations. Preparation for independent life and social inclusion is also essential for unaccompanied minor migrants as they lack some important socially and culturally defined knowledge for their adaptation and inclusion to the host community. The From Youth to Independent Life project has been successfully implemented, it has made important achievements, has led to improved practices in youth work by developing three intellectual outputs. This partnership tried to keep the project plan in order to respect the proposed aims and objectives, just with some minor delays as compared to project timeline, but every task has been finished by the end of implementation period.Even though IO1 didn’t get finance, the partners considered that is important to have relevant information about the needs of target group, this activity have been carried out, but the research couldn’t be done in the extent which was proposed initially.Activities performed:IO1. Gateways to integration – Report on the resources for social inclusion of youth in residential carePreparation of study instruments: development of the interview guidelines for the guided interview for young adults, and after care providers. Revision of interview guidelines and translation into the partner countries languages. Study Implementation: implementation of the interviews with 20 young adults, in total, who already had left care and 13 after care provider. Evaluation of results: Partners agreed that in general all partner countries presented similar difficulties of the young people leaving care. There is lack of support in self-esteem and self-awareness, presenting difficulties in managing finding and maintaining job, or housing conditions. In the 1st Intellectual Output it was important to access specific information for development of successful and valid training material. The investigation was used to get to know realities of those who leaved the care-system in order to widen the aftercare - preparation program and provide the young persons what they need. Based on the interviews from partner countries most relevant topics to work with were self-esteem and self-awareness and vocational guidance before leaving care. As well as on the professional awareness as young persons have difficulties in finding the right career path that is in concordance with the interests and competences.IO2: 2. Make a living – Online games for young people to get prepared for independent life was led by P2, SEC (RO). All thepartners contributed to the selection of the competencies. The software for the online platform has been developed, which is in fact a PHP based educational online multi-game system. Taking into consideration the learning outcomes, some activities are better suited for online activities, the division of skill-groups was adapted to the online games. The online games contains in total 5 units, 25 lessons and 2 games/unit.The theory part of the lessons can be read at anytime, but the games already solved successfully, can’t be playedagain.Learning time: 30-40 learning hours.It consist of 5 units:1. Self-care skills – family planning,2. money management,3. food management skills,4. housing and housekeeping,5. career and job related skills.Units structure: Intro, Definition, References, Theory, Videos, Photos.Games: True or False, General Knowledge, Quiz, Letter Pile, Choose the right answer.The game can be played in all partner country languages. Also, a Multilingual guide has been developed in all partner languages, and also a Validation Report as well. IO3. Social workout The training material is focusing on skills listed in the Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000, with practical tools addressed to young people and residential youth care workers, incorporating the use of the online games. The training programme consists of 5 modules (Interpersonal skills, Legal skills (active citizenship 1), Career and job related skills, Money management, Knowledge on active citizenship 2, it is designed in modular format, each of the modules can be used separately, and it has 180 pages. The training curriculum was jointly developed by the partners, 14 of them took part of the joint staff training, and after that they piloted locally with 120 participants. Beside the developed intellectual outputs, it is important to acknowledge the multisectorial nature of the project that facilitated opportunities to cooperation of relevant stakeholders from different backrounds: public sector, NGOs, youth organisations, schools, local governments. etc. The partnership had the opportunity to improve their competences in youth work and so they can directly exploit the project results to their target groups.