The YALTA project - Youth Activization - Long Term Ambition has the ambition from the long-term perspective to influence systematic work with youth with visual impairment in both involved countries – in Slovakia and Slovenia. We are intending to develop and to verify a model which enables activation of young people with visual impairment and to run their own activities. Moreover this model will provide practical information and examples on creating inclusive environment within the already existing youth groups involving youth without disabilities. Despite various efforts in the area of inclusion people with visual impairment are still facing discrimination in various areas of life. This specific group has very few opportunities to participate on mainstream activities (social, cultural and leisure-time activities). Therefore they spend most of their free-time in a passive way without any motivation to influence social life. Very similar situation concerning this group of youngsters is observed in both involved countries.During this project we are planning to work with three types of target groups that are considered to be crucial for developing systematic activities for youth with visual impairment. Within the first group there are young people with visual impairment (16 persons); the second group is formed by Professional staff (16 persons) that are from a long-term perspective to influence the support of youth activities; the third group is represented by volunteers without visual impairment (8 persons) whose main role is in fostering inclusive dimension of established youth groups.In order to achieve main project goals we are intending to realize several activities and outcomes. In the first phase we will summarize know-how of all involved partners and will create a toolkit for youth workers and for youth leaders. These toolkits will form a basis for the following project phases – for the training phase as well as for the testing and implementation phase within which the functionality of the proposed model for activization and inclusion of youngsters with visual impairment will be verified.Among main project outcomes will be beside the toolkits (the content of which will be revised and updated) also four organized groups of youth with visual impairment cooperating with youngsters without any disability as well as realization of several regular activities for youth with visual impairment and for elementary school and secondary school pupils. All activities will be prepared by trained young leaders with visual impairment.We are expecting that this project will contribute to the direct activization of youth with visual impairment and to their organizedness and their involvement into leisure-time and various civic and social activities that we consider to have a big importance especially regarding self-advocacy and promoting rights. Furthermore this project can have its impact over a much wider group as are the target groups directly participating at the project.
The main purpose of the „Youth Activation - Long Term Ambition“ (YALTA) project was mainly to influence systematic work with youth with visual impairment in both involved countries – in Slovakia and Slovenia. Wehave developed and verified a model which enables activation of young people with visual impairment and provides practical examples on creating inclusive environment within the already existing youth groups. Despite various efforts in the area of inclusion people with visual impairment are still facing discrimination in various areas of life. This specific group has very few opportunities to participate on mainstream activities (social, cultural and leisure-time activities). Therefore they spend most of their free-time in a passive way without any motivation to influence social life. Similar situation concerning this group of youngsters is observed in both involved countries. There were three types of target groups identified within the project that are crucial for developing systematic activities for youth with visual impairment:1) youngsters with visual impairment (young leaders), 2) volunteers without disability (young volunteers) and 3) Professional staff of involved partner organizations. In order to achieve main project goals we realized several activities and outcomes. In the first phase we summarized know-how of all involved partners and created a toolkit for youth workers and for youth leaders. These toolkits formed a basis for the following project phases – for the training phase as well as for the testing and implementation phase within which the functionality of the proposed model for activization and inclusion of youngsters with visual impairmentwas verified. Moreover the project enabled the creation of organized groups of youth with visual impairment cooperating with youngsters without any disability in four pilot regions (Bratislava, Banská Bystrica, Nitra, Prešov) as well as realization of several regular activities for youth with visual impairment and for elementary and secondary school pupils. These activities were prepared by trained young leaders, volunteers and trained Professional staff. This project contributed to the direct activization of youth with visual impairment and to their organizedness and their involvement into leisure-time and various civic and social activities that has a big importance especially regarding self-advocacy and promoting rights.