FEAD 2018 Catalogue of case studies

Slovenia – Nurturing the personal development of children from socially disadvantaged families Red Cross Slovenia Images © 2xSamara.com, Shutterstock.com, 2018 WHY? Participating in social and cultural activities at a young age has an enormously positive impact on children because it helps them develop essential skills such as creativity, expression, reflection, identity and imagination. Moreover, attending activities conducted by young mentors can offer young people in distress, who are reluctant to accept help from official departments and institutions, an alternative outlet to overcome social, behavioural and learning difficulties. This is what spurred the Red Cross Slovenia’s project ‘We Are Together’. WHAT? The ‘We Are Together’ project targets children in school and pre-school from socially disadvantaged families to ensure they enjoy access to social and cultural experiences that would otherwise be inaccessible to them, with the aim to nurture their overall personal development . The programme runs throughout the entire year and offers everything from cultural experiences and social excursions, to help with homework and mentoring. A special part of the programme is the individual monitoring of children whose families are not in a position to provide support vis-à-vis schoolwork or everyday guidance, like accompanying kids to medical examinations or providing daily advice. These are the activities children are typically more comfortable participating in through friendly groups and with informal voluntary leaders. As such, with the help of young volunteers that can support them through their individual hindrances, the children are assisted in overcoming social, behavioural and learning difficulties in a less intimidating way. HOW? The programme is implemented through three categories of activities: tutoring, creative workshops and a holiday programme (e.g. summer camps, excursions). These activities focus on motivating the children to learn by stimulating their curiosity and creativity, as well as developing their social and behavioural skills through the instalment of values like respect for themselves, others and the environment. Another important objective is teaching the children how to respond to stressful situations without using violence, through exercises. Diverse approaches to supporting Europe’s most deprived: FEAD case studies 2018 56