Between August 15 and November 15, 2018, ASS SCUT will begin the project Change for the better for young people, which will target 12 young people aged over 18 from disadvantaged backgrounds: de-institutionalized, homeless, unemployed/without employment, single-parent families, risk of poverty and social exclusion, etc. The project is co-financed by the Brasov County Council.

The Association of Social Services SCUT started the program AFTERCARE START in 2004, which initially addressed young people in care and those people who are leaving care. Because the project is a success, with significant results, we have developed it. Currently, besides this category of beneficiaries, we offer complex social services to families in difficulty, helping them to cope with the poverty and difficult situations that are facing. Through the Change for the better for young people project, we intend to streamline the already existing program by developing, completing and implicitly increasing the quality of the services we already offer.

This project aims, in particular, to improve the quality of life of the inhabitants of Brasov by providing free, social assistance services that are sustainable for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds as well as a good practice model for other social assistance institutions. Most social interventions and services are predominantly focused on basic / subsistence and crisis intervention, with very little attention being paid to socialization, recreation, group membership and personal development.

The problem faced by young people in disadvantaged environments is complex on all their life spheres. The trauma of abandonment is the cause of many bottlenecks in the life of young de-institutionalized youth. Perpetuation of these patten, plus the risk of school dropout, poverty, low levels of schooling and implicitly low insertion in the workforce, poor health due to lack of resources and access to medical services, lack of information, problems of social integration because of the lack of communication and socialization, are just a few of the problems and needs of this vulnerable group that certainly lead to marginalization and social exclusion.

The aim of the project is to increase the quality of life among disadvantaged young people in Brasov County by developing a socialization and personal development program to promote equal opportunities for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The overall objective of our project is to increase the quality of life and reduce the inequality of chances for 12 young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Specific objectives include:

1. Increase the quality of life through the implementation of a personal development and recreational program, socializing activities for a number of 12 disadvantaged young people from Brasov County within 3 months.
2. Promote equal opportunities at community level for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and reduce the risk of social marginalization by organizing two community events - the Living Library and a flash-mob.

Among the main activities of the project are the organization and development of a 12-day camp (in Zărneşti, at Piatra Craiului Hostel), in which will be realized: a personal development training and skills development, soft skills, social activities, recreation, dance classes and mountain orientation. We will also organize two events at community level: Living Library and a flash-mob for diminishing marginalization, promoting social inclusion and equal opportunities.