This project focuses on the exchage of good practices concerning psychoeducational tools that have the potential to contribute to the capacity building of parole officers and professionals that work inside and outside prison as well as professionals and volunteers who work at NGOs or other organizations occupied with ex-prisoners as their target group of providing services. The project aims to fill the gaps which emerge from the lack of effective services provided to prisoners and ex-prisoners and to strengthen professionals and volunteers that work at relevant to the prisoners’ fields and contexts. It is estimated that 450 professionals and volunteers will be trained and gain the necessary knowledge and tools to boost their efficacy. The training sessions that participants will attend include the exploration of innovative psychoeducational tools, employment counseling, ethics, case management and supervision to professionals. The methodology that will be used is based on the Logical Framework Method which is a systematic and participatory approach for project design and planning. LFM assists in the understanding of two components of project success: 1) project management success and 2) product success. The expected results include the capacity building of professionals who will be trained but also other professionals that will have the opportunity to learn through the open access to material which will be published after the completion of the project. In addition, due to the exchange of good practices among partners, the organizations involved will be able to provide more efficient, credible and valid services to prisoners and ex-prisoners. At last but not least the impact of the project includes partners’ involvement to stakeholders’ decision upon matters provided services at correction facilities that may contribute to a social change. Activities analysis: Activity 1: Coordinating organization Freedom Gate Greece Project management and implementation Activity 2: Coordinating organization Freedom Gate Greece Preparation as stated in the section F. Activities 3 – 9 will fall and described analytically under the category of G.1. Learning/Teaching/Training: Training session C1 Activity 3: Peri Psychis Activity 4: European Strategies Consulting Activity 5: Freedom Gate Greece Activity 6: C.I.P Citizens in Power Training session C2 Activity 7: Training module 4 Silta-valmennusyhdistys ry Activity 8: Training module 5 UISP Ciriè Settimo Chivasso Activity 9: Training module 6 Asociatia Judeteana Sportul Pentru Toti Suceava (AJSPT Suceava) Activities 10 The University of Thessaly creation of the good practice manual Activity 11: Innovative Prison Solutions creation of the e-learning material Activity 12: European Strategies Consulting Quality assurance methodology and evaluation Activity 13: International Juvenile Justice Observatory Project dissemination Activities 3 – 9 Learning/Teaching/Training: Training sessions C1 and C2 Transnational meetings: 1. Athens Greece (kick-off meeting) 2. Bucharest Romania 3. Brussels Belgium 4. Athens Greece (Closing conference)
Having in mind that this was the first Erasmus+ project which Freedom Gate Greece coordinated, we can happily say that we are satisfied with the results. The participation and contribution of the partners to reach the results is undoubtedly significant and it can certainly be called a win-win situation. This project could have been categorized as innovation but as a newcomer, we chose not to design a project which we possibly would not have had the capacity to carry out. The main activities were the two LTTs which were carried out in person as planned with great success and satisfaction from all parties involved. Following this, the topics both theoretical and practical which had been presented during the LTTs, were compiled into the publication "INMATE REINTEGRATION: Compilation of Theory and Practices". Based on the material from the aforementioned publication, an e-learning space was developed on the Moodle platform. Further, it was estimated that approx. 450 professionals and volunteers would be trained in order to gain theoretical knowledge of the criminal justice framework and tools and ideas of practises used in partner countries in order to boost their professional efficacy. The summarized results include the capacity building of professionals who were trained but also other professionals that will have the opportunity to learn through the open access material which is published after the completion of the project. In addition, due to the exchange of good practices among partners, the organizations involved are able to provide more efficient, credible and valid services to prisoners and ex-prisoners. Last but not least the impact of the project results may have an influence on the decision-making of official bodies upon matters considering provision of rehabilitation and services at correctional facilities which through reduction of reoffending has the potential to contribute to a social change.