Successful European youth work needs more knowhow of how to prevent youngsters suffering from mental health problems to falling out from the society (becoming NEET) and how to empower NEETs while they still are NEETs. European youth work organizations must also find new concrete solutions (both proactive and reactive) to respond to the psychosocial problems of the youngsters. To answer to these challenges, Sosped Foundation, Stiftelsen Fryshuset and YEU Cyprus propose a partnership to enhance social inclusion of psychosocially challenged youth. These persons are often either in a risk of becoming NEET (RNEET) or are already NEETs. Project "LEAPE 2 - Exchange of experiences and knowledge of contextual youth work" aims to develop a new kind of framework that describes youth work from a contextual perspective. It will work as a tool for professionals working with youth. PROJECT'S OBJECTIVES 1) Exchange of experience of RNEET and NEET from contextual perspectives 1.1 Evaluation of Fryshuset's and Sosped's partnership through participants experiences 2) Knowledge & capacity building 2.1 RNEETs and professionals working with RNEETs learn aspects from reactive contexts and how to work there 2.2 NEETs and professionals working with NEETs learn aspects of proactive contexts and how to work there Project's main objective is an innovative framework that combines the aspects of both RNEET and NEET and reactive and proactive contexts. SOSPED'S CULTURE HOUSES IN A REACTIVE CONTEXT Culture houses provide low-threshold activities for young adults (18-35 years) suffering from mental health problems. Most of these are NEETs. Activities as based on peer-led functional groups. Especially younger participants (18-22 years) can find it hard to leave their homes and come to culture houses and this is why new methods of inclusions are needed. Sosped coordinates the project and one of the staff representatives in the project is a researcher from the University of Helsinki whose role is to help in the assessment of the the project and it's results. FRYSHUSET WORK IN A PROACTIVE CONTEXT Fryshuset focuses its operations primarily on the empowerment of youth, as well as its inclusion in society by providing youth, in particular the most vulnerable and disadvantaged, with opportunities for change. Many of these are RNEETs. Despite of it's inclusive methods and culture, the organization is aware that there are high number of NEET youngsters that suffer from loneliness and who don't have the courage to join Fryshuset's activities. These people suffering from ex. social fears, anxiety and fear of stigmatization, can find it hard to join activities where there are others who seem to be doing better than them. For these reasons Fryshuset's youth and personnel could benefit from new concrete tools that could help them to do more reactive work. Fryshuset's role is to organize 5 days training held in Stockholm YEU CYPRUS - WORKING ON BOTH REACTIVE AND PROACTIVE CONTEXTS YEU Cyprus is facing similar challenges than Fryshuset and Sosped. The organization is also working actively to integrate more and more refugees from North African countries. These diverse roles bring YEU Cyprus both credibility as an extern evaluator of the partnership and an important reason to be involved as a leaner. Organization meets more and more refugees from vulnerable backgrounds and could therefore benefit from new kind of peer support models. This kind of models could help YEU Cyprus to respond to the needs of the youth more efficiently. PARTICIPANTS & ACTIVITIES 8 participants and 2-3 staff members participate to the project from each organization. These youngsters represent both RNEETs and NEETs. Project central activities focus on a) evaluation of Fryshuset's and Sosped's earlier partnership, b) exchange of experiences and c) developing a framework that will help organizations to consider contextual aspects of youth work. Project's activities contain blended mobility of young people. This includes one preparative transnational meeting in Helsinki, one five days training and one closing transnational meeting, both in Stockholm. In addition to the physical meetings preparation team and all the participants will have shared conference calls and meetings. Mobile technology, small group working, workshops and lectures will all be used during the project. YEU Cyprus will together with the researcher from the university of Helsinki assess the partnership between Fryshuset and Sosped AND the novelty value of the developed framework. The prepared framework will work as a tool for partner organizations' personnel who face youth in different kind of life situations. Framework and the material related to it will be available for the partners interested. In the long- run, LEAPE 2 aims to support youngsters in different kind of life situations through providing new kind of tools for the professionals working with youngsters.
Successful European youth work needs more know-how of how to prevent youngsters suffering from mental health problems to falling out from the society (becoming NEET) and how to empower NEETs while they still are NEETs. European youth work organizations must also find new concrete solutions (both proactive and reactive) to respond to the psycho-social problems of the youngsters. To answer to these challenges, Sosped Foundation, Stiftelsen Fryshuset and YEU Cyprus had a partnership to enhance social inclusion of youth suffering from psycho-social problems. These persons are often either in a risk of becoming NEET (RNEET) or are already NEETs. Project SCALE - Exchange of experiences and knowledge of contextual youth work" aimed to develop a new kind of framework that describes youth work from a contextual perspective. Framework works also as a tool for professionals working with youth. PROJECT's CENTRAL RESULTS 1) Exchange of experience of RNEET and NEET from contextual perspectives 2) Knowledge & capacity building 2.1 RNEETs and professionals working with RNEETs learned aspects from reactive contexts and how to work there 2.2 NEETs and professionals working with NEETs learned aspects of proactive contexts and how to work there Project's main result was an innovative framework that combines the aspects of both RNEET and NEET and reactive and proactive contexts. Scale project consisted of one preparative TPM (March 2019), one short-term learning event(June 2019) and an evaluative TPM (September 2019). Learning event, that was held in Stockholm, brought together youth professionals from three different countries and a variety of youth, that are (or have been) in a risk of becoming socially excluded. SOSPED'S CULTURE HOUSES IN FINLAND Culture houses provide low-threshold activities for young adults (18-35 years) suffering from mental health problems. Most of these are NEETs and RNEET. 7 Culture houses' peer-advisors and two staff members attended to the Learning event. Also a researcher from the university of Helsinki attended to the event and her main task was a evaluate both the project as whole and the created framework. Through attending personnel and youngsters, Sosped foundation got a simple framework that they can use on on their different Culture houses in Finland. FRYSHUSET WORK IN A PROACTIVE CONTEXT Fryshuset focuses its operations primarily on the empowerment of youth, as well as its inclusion in society by providing youth, in particular the most vulnerable and disadvantaged, with opportunities for change. Many of these are RNEETs. From Fryshuset, one trainee, a special teacher and two pupils from Fryshuset's special school attended to the learning event. Special school's teachers got a simple and easy to use tool that they found both innovative, easy to use and modifiable to their pupils's needs. YEU CYPRUS - WORKING ON BOTH REACTIVE AND PROACTIVE CONTEXTS YEU Cyprus is facing similar challenges than Fryshuset and Sosped. The organization is also working actively to integrate more and more refugees from North African countries. From YEU Cyprus, there were 8 persons attending, including one youth coordinator and 7 youth and volunteers. Concept of NEET is not known is Cyprus, so attending persons got familiar with a new concept, they got a framework that they can use to train their volunteers. DEVELOPED FRAMEWORK AND FUTURE POSSIBILITIES Developed manual provides a visual presentation about the developmental phases of social inclusion and exclusion. It lists also different safety factors that can hidrance social inclusion and and risk factors than can indicate or accelerate social exclusion. In the end of the framework there is also a list of questions that can be used to discuss with youth. Developed material works as as toolbox for youth professionals and youth and the main goal is to help to discuss about social exclusion and help youngsters to be more aware of their current life situation. Material can be used both individually and together with professinals. Due to great cultural differences, heterogenity of NEETs and limited time ( 4 days), framework isn't completely ready. English and Finnish versions exist already but them are first versions. Material was tested together with extern stakeholders inclusing outreach youth workers, special teachers and mental health workers and all of them agreed that material has potential. Yet, it should me developed further in order to respond better to NEETs needs, at least on national level. Material is available for organizations wanting to test it to to used in future applications.