Leonardo Project
UK Organisations
Dear Colleague, We are happy to announce that we have recently been awarded a grant from the “Leonardo Da Vinci” programme for our project “Living and Learning Abroad” (“LLA”), which will allow us to provide at least 150 marginalized young people with a unique opportunity – to travel and learn abroad in other European countries.
BET is committed to reaching the most disadvantaged young people within the UK and this project focuses on 4 priority target groups: unemployed, educational underachievers, offenders and ex-offenders and those in or leaving care. Our “LLA” project can support young people in all of these target groups however for any young person to be eligible for this project they must be over 18 and unemployed.
Through BET “LLA” project these young people are given the opportunity to expand their understanding of themselves and develop an awareness of their place within Europe. As our target group are marginalised and excluded within their own communities through this project they have the dual benefit of personal development, allowing them to overcome barriers to inclusion in their own communities and through positive challenges to their attitudes to Europe they will develop an awareness of their role as citizens within Europe.
Their work placements abroad will be on projects such as orphanages for disabled children in Bulgaria, affording the UK young people to realise the great opportunities they have in the UK for education, work and personal development.
In the similar projects we have witnessed through helping vulnerable people in other countries the participants’ self-esteem increases and the feel a lot more useful to society.
The mobility will be hosted only in Eastern European countries and participants will work on deprived projects, we anticipate total of 40 teams to go out in the period 1/6/2008 – 31/5/2012.
All participants will gain vocational skills that will enable them to progress into employment, education and training.
Till now we have been a partner on a similar project, where the coordinating organisation was the Prince’s Trust, during this time we hosted several ‘Team Challenges’ please refer to the following link http://www.bhagavat.org.uk/princes_trust.html , just to briefly explain - the central theme through each of the projects included the following:
To help the UK young people gain an unforgettable overseas experience, acquainting with entirely new culture and thus broadening their horizons, but also better realising the opportunities in life they have in the UK
To assist another marginalised group, particularly the orphanages in Bulgaria whereby the young people would undertake a project such as painting murals in orphanages and off course socially interact with the children
Allow the young people to experience Bulgaria, typically this would include excursions, traditional meals etc
To teach the young people about the customs and traditions of Bulgaria We have witnessed ourselves the immense benefit to all parties concerned particularly:
The young people themselves, the difference in attitude and in their outlook from when they arrive in Bulgaria to when they return. The young people are more prepared and willing to seek employment and further education with an improved self esteem.
The children of the orphanages abroad, often these children feel abandoned and forgotten, a visit from such a team demonstrates that they are not forgotten.
Motivation of the staff of orphanages in Bulgaria, we often think of the Hawthorn experiment, the difference in attitude from the staff is considerable, and generally speaking the moral of the whole institution is improved.
We generally believe that it is a tremendous shame that the European program of the Prince’s Trust has come to an end particularly after witnessing the benefits first hand. With reference to the fact that we have been chosen to continue it we sincerely believe we can successfully work with you not to allow this to happen in conditions satisfying all parties involved.
In essence we envisage the program will consist of the following elements:
A UK organisation whose target group are anyway marginalised young people will induct the young person and undertake the preparation of the young person for the overseas placement (which can be done in a few days in the UK) – usually the young people should be in a group of ten or twelve
The young people than fly over to Bulgaria, accompanied by two mentors from the UK organisation and spend two weeks, during which they will be working in an orphanage for children with physical and mental disabilities, completing a voluntary project (identical with the former Prince’s Trust European programme Team Challenges) - this could include painting murals, interacting with the children, etc.
Every week there will be different cultural event organised for them such as visiting a folklore festival, taking part in a traditional Bulgarian custom, learning a traditional dance; or simply going to the cinema
Every weekend there will be a little excursion organized for the YP
At least once during these 4 weeks - a night stay in a medieval monastery
Once completed they will return to the UK with the necessary skills to find a job, improved life skills and self esteem in order to continue with their education or to seek employment.
As examples please refer to the following links of examples of previous Team Challenges we have hosted:-
http://www.stmatthewhousing.org/news/PRoct200613.htm
http://www.furness.ac.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=366&Itemid=122
We can implement a very well working model for the working abroad experience and we invite you to be part of it! Thank you for the time to read this and if you would like to become a partner in this innovative project – contact us for further details.
You can contact us on our free phone 08000 75 8040
or
Send us an email at bulgaria@bhagavat.org.uk with your organisation name, contact person's name, telephone and email and we will contact you soon.
or
Simply fill out the contact form
