Country - Bosnia & Herzegovina
Activity: gardening/agriculture
TG: drug users
PROI
The organisation
The PROI association has existed for over 13 years and during this period it has realised numerous programmes and projects related to social inclusion, employment, education and training for socially marginalised groups such as intravenous drug users and sex workers. Their work has made the PROI association an acknowledged and reputable NGO in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the field of social inclusion and work integration.
Project "Youth employment through social partnership" is the response to the problems of social exclusion, unemployment and poverty in Bosnia and Herzegovina asone of the poorestcountries in Europe. On the basisof relevant dataandresearch, more than 87% of the members of socially marginalised groups are directly affected by these problems. This project is the first and only example of such a project that treats social inclusion and employment of socially marginalised groups in B&H based on innovative ideas: creative gardening, horticulture and arrangement of public areas, based on social partnership and social entrepreneurship. The target group are injecting drug users and sex workers from urban areas without employment and basic non-formal education.
In this project, they implemented initial activities aimed at basic education and training of target group members, in which they learned to write a CV and motivation letter, how to apply for a job and the basics of a culture of dialogue and adequate manner. In these activities, there were over 140 former and current injection drug users and sex workers. After that, the best, most persistentandmost interested 25 members of the target group were educated theoretically and practically and trained in creative gardening, horticulture and arrangement of public areas.This project also included 35 people as representatives of relevant government agencies and employers as support and necessary assistance in the establishment of social partnership.
Results
Based on established social partnerships between Association PROI and relevant social partners, the employment of 11 participants has been ensured in sectors of production and social partners with jobs in creative gardening and horticulture. The employment has provided motivation and enthusiasm, better and easier social inclusion of target group members and general social benefits to the local community. Due to the high demand for this kind of work, where is no strong competition in the market offers. Social entrepreneurship in this business area is justified and economically profitable, with socially marginalised groups as main employees.
More information
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website: http://www.ugproi.com/en/
Country - Finland
Tg: (ex) offenders
Activity: gardening/agriculture, integrated services, environmentally friendly
Roots to Freedom
The organisation
“Roots to freedom” is a nature based rehabilitation project for adult inmates in Kerava Prison in Finland in which garden and nature-based activities are offered both in open and closed prison. The aim is to create a wholesome nature-based rehabilitation-model, where an invididual path is created from the prison to civil life. They offer after-care once the sentence is over. They are also doing an evaluation of the method and its effects on prisoners. The project runs under the authority of Criminal Sanctions Agency in co-operation with Kriminaalihuollon tukisäätiö (NGO), a non profit aftercare foundation (for released prisoners and their families). It has been running since March 2013, and is expected to end in December 2014, based on funding from the European Social Fund.
Kerava prison has many different work-places, but in this project the prisoner works on nature based activities (in the garden, with animals, doing farm-work, working on natural parks doing developmental work, etc..) or construction work around Kerava prison. The prisoners take part in rehabilitating group-sessions that are based on Green Care activities and every prisoner has one-on-one sessions, in order to develop individual plans for after prison life.
The overall aim of the project is to create a wholesome rehabilitation model in Kerava prison, that includes group sessions, professional work/ education and personalised casework that continues after the prison sentence is over. The ideology is nature-based activities and nature-based thinking.
Results
They have had 45 inmates taking part so far, and it seems that the numbers are only increasing.
The key results of the project are the enabling of re-integration back to society through training of self-reflection and self-understanding, as well as a possibility to start over in life through education or work while in prison and to continue that path after prison.
All participants acquire an ecological way of thinking, and they gain responsibility, social skills, not losing one´s temper so quickly, respecting others and yourself and nature/society, horticultural skills, looking after weaker creatures (such as animals and flowers), etc. They develop those skills with the goal of moving on to regular paid employment. At the time of writing they did not yet have any numbers regarding paid employment because only few prisoners had been released so far. One of the ex-detainees continued studying in civil life.
In the beginning it was quite challenging to motivate prison staff to be active in the project, also creating something completely new inside a very strict prison-system, where safety is always priority number one, but they managed to do so successfully. So far they have had extremely good results considering that the project is only in the beginning. Nature-based activities were reported to activate inmates, give opportunities to strengthen self-efficacy by using former knowledge and skills and learning new ones, and to increase confidence in coping after discharge. Group activities contributed to the social interaction among inmates, and between inmates and staff. Through positive feedback from others, inmates identified favourable characteristics in themselves, which encouraged mutual relationships. Nature-based activities proved to be a means to execute on-site activities supporting rehabilitation by creating affordances of everyday life in a restricted environment.
To make their activities more sustainable, they have permanent prison staff members on the team, so once the project workers leave the permanent staff can continue the good work. Also they have been able to liaise with local professional educational schools that are willing to co-operate with Kerava prison even after the project is finished.
More information
Website: https://sites.google.com/site/juuretvapauteen/
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Country - Germany
Activity: product sales, commercial, hard skills, low-threshold, gardening/agriculture
TG: drug users
Mudra Berufliche Integration
“We installed a permanent quality management system to ensure the ongoing development of our organisation”
The organisation
Mudra vocational training and employment services is part of Mudra Alternative Jugend- und Drogenhilfe Nürnberg e.V. in Germany. They strive to help drug addicted persons in finding their way back to the job market. In their different projects there are various possibilities for qualified job trainings. They also offer low threshold opportunities to acquire basic competences that are needed in all kinds of jobs. Their goals are not limited to the direct needs of the job market but also include psychosocial counselling and support in other important domains. There is more information about this in the UNODC-Document about Sustained Recovery Management.Mudra's project leader was a member of the working group responsible for the document.
The participants can work for all sorts of projects, such as forestry, a women’s workshop for costumes, jewellery and sewing, cleaning services, cabinet maker’s workshop, gardening and landscaping, a day labour project, and training in business administration. At the time of writing these projects offered work to around 90 participants, and the numbers were increasing over time. The forestry project was founded in 1985, so Mudra has many years of experience in work reintegration. In all their work they aim to improve the situation of recovering drug addicts concerning job integration, connected with psychosocial counselling
About 50% of the Mudra services is financed through the sales of their goods and services. Their offer is quite extensive. To get an impression of what they sell you may visit their online shop (in German) at: http://mudra-shop.de/. The remainder of their financing is through funding from the Employment Agency, State of Bavaria, District government, City of Nuremberg, Integration Office (responsible for job integration of handicapped persons) and some donations.
Results
The key results of Mudra are that they contribute to a reduced crime rate, they reduce relapses, and they help to improve the work competences of their target group. Concerning the last point they do not only assist in the development of basic skills, but they also offer formal gardening and landscaping training as well as business administration. Not many participants move on to regular employment, as the main target group is long-term drug users with multiple problems. On average about 20% moves on, 60% stays on the same level, 20% drops out. In their work they often see younger participants with no work experience and no qualifications, and older participants with increasing health problems, for whom it is hard to move on to regular employment as the current job market has very few opportunities for unqualified, older and less productive peoples. However, through combining their integration programme with psychosocial counselling, and better payment for more challenging jobs, Mudra does manage to motivate the professional development of its participants. In the near future they will focus on the challenges of new drugs, and adapting job offers to older and less fit participants.
More information
Website: www.mudra-online.de
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Country - Greece
Target Group: mental health problems
Activity: gardening/agriculture, low-threshold, product sales
EKPSE (PRE) VOCATIONAL TRAINING PROGRAMME
“Vocational rehabilitation may be a positive response to prolonged work disability, accelerating return to meaningful employment, minimising workdays lost, increasing productivity of injured workers, reducing premature retirement, and containing the welfare costs. Early intervention and the patient’s active involvement decrease deconditioning and illness behavior and foster higher return-to-work rates. Moreover, vocational rehabilitation delivered to patients at risk for job loss (but still employed) can delay job loss.”
The organisation
The EKPSE (pre)vocational training programme forms part of the Society of Social Psychiatry and Mental Health in Alexandroupolis, Greece. Besides vocational training, this parent organisation offers housing support, day centres, mobile psychiatric units, community advocacy, education for mental health professionals and rehabilitation programmes. The training programme takes place in Evros and offers vocational and rehabilitative support to people with mental health problems. The trainees raise plants in a field and sell the products on a market. While aiming to increase the self-esteem of the participants, they are supported in their social and labour market integration. The programme not only includes medical and psychosocial treatment but also ways to foster social interaction, to promote independent living, and to encourage vocational performance. At the beginning of the trajectory the participants discuss with the head of the programme what plants or vegetables they will seed. Afterwards they prepare the ground, seed, take care of the plants on a daily basis, harvest and sell at the market. All the products are biological, without the use of insecticides. Besides, participants can also be trained in the keeping of domestic animals such as chickens, pigs, turkeys and rabbits. The project was founded in 1986 and has continually evolved to keep meeting the needs of the participants and society. Since its beginning the programme has grown gradually, now offering work to 17 people.
Results
The main subject of training (agricultural cultivations) and the kind of production (primary sector) was selected taking into account the special needs of the target group in relation with their illness and their previous life. They promote their products to the community and with the earnings they in turn support the programme. In the meantime they receive education, counselling and general work guidance.
Surveys have pointed out that, at 6 months to 2 years after vocational rehabilitation, only about 20% of subjects had a job, whereas many more receive a disability pension. This finding demonstrates that there is room for improving the selection criteria for vocational rehabilitation interventions. Moreover, the role of national disability compensation systems in influencing the worker’s motivation to return to work should not be overlooked, as well as the importance of specific policies aimed at better (re-) integrating and maintaining disabled people in the labour market.
In order to keep the programme sustainable they will continue to work on several key points, namely the empowerment of participants in order to need less employers for the programme, the utilisation of the Social Economy, and an increase of the programme's financial independence.
More information
Website: www.ekpse.gr
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Country - Portugal
Activity: hard skills + product sales + gardening/agriculture
TG: drug users
Dianova
Organization
The plant nursery and the Viveiros Dianova greenhouse are part of Dianova, an NGO specialised in drug and alcohol treatment and certified training, in Portugal. Since April 2000, this social enterprise works on sustainable and social goals through the employment and empowerment of 13 people. They are specialised in the production of plants and flowers. The social enterprise hires people that have completed a drug and alcohol rehab programme, 45+ unemployed people, or those without higher education or professional qualifications and experience, as well as socially vulnerable peoples. At the workplace the employees have regular 8 hour workdays, during which everyone works according to their own capacity. The employees are responsible for the growth and production of plants and flowers, ranging from seeding, plant nourishment, to the final sale of the product. Of the 13 employees, 8 have already become regular staff members and 5 are in the process of a 2-year training in general professional skills as well as floriculture specifics. Since its foundation the social enterprise has benefited 52 people. For all these people the overall aim was to increase their professional capabilities and so stimulating social reintegration on the regular labour market. Moreover, the sales of Dianova's plants increases the NGOs revenue and sustainability in the long term. The 5 specialised work places are co-subsidized for a 2-year period frame by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, and its sustainable goal relies on the sales of the produced plants and flowers to the national Portuguese market.
Results
All in all the social enterprise has reintegrated 52 people socio-professionally. They have done so through empowerment, the teaching of social and professional skills, advocacy for equal opportunities and the promotion of self-employment. At the workplace the employees learn new social and relational soft skills (team work, self esteem, conflict management, time management, autonomy reinforcement) as well as hard skills (greenhouse/ stove maintenance, plants and plagues biology, plant trimming, garden plants and house plants, main rules for care of plants). These skills are taught through various ways, namely: psychosocial support, training sessions throughout the year on soft and hard skills, as well as corporate celebrations designed to increase employee engagement. Although reduced financial support has made it difficult to hire a manager that can make the enterprise more profitable and the outcome of the work is dependent of the weather, the enterprise has turned out to be rather successful. Not only have they been running for more than 13 years, they have also benefited more than 50 highly disadvantaged individuals, and have constantly adapted to the changing market needs. Thus, in the years to come they will continue to optimise their efficiency and effectiveness of the enterprise, hoping to maintain their level of employees and increase their revenue.
More information
Website: www.dianova.pt
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