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EuroPet Partners
Start date: Jun 1, 2016, End date: Mar 31, 2017 PROJECT  FINISHED 

The quality of life of young people with disabilities is related to the level of social inclusion and it is better when economic conditions, family background and socio-cultural context foster a high degree of satisfaction of physical, psychological, emotional, relational and social needs.To find new relationship ways and learn new communication languages, it’s necessary to stimulate motivation, increase interest to the outside world and encourage socialization and interest to get involved in group activities, reduce anxiety and sense of loneliness, improve self-esteem and strengthen the autonomy and independence in everyday life.Due to a lack of tools and support for young people with disabilities, their quality of life is increasingly dependent on the commitment of the family, by the presence of networks of voluntary support and the level of training of social workers.In fact, because of the shortage of resources and expertise, it is not always possible to meet and address the specific individual needs.The project aims to offer a response to these needs by strengthening the professional skills of educators and volunteers and the dissemination of innovative solutions among the public, private and non-profit organizations and between families. In addition, the training course has the following objectives:- Improve the quality of life of people with disabilities, providing tools to improve their physical, social, emotional and cognitive skills and to overcome social exclusion and the risk of marginalization and isolation;- To share experiences, information, methodologies and best practices at European level through closer cooperation between organizations and institutions working in this field.To achieve these objectives, the project strategy identifies a specific context of intervention: supporting disability through animal assisted interventions.The animal in fact has the crucial role of "social facilitator" between the person and the world around, with significant psychological and physical benefits and for this reason is placed in therapy programs aimed at people with mental or physical disabilities, health problems or social distress.The interaction between man and animal can be used to complement and assist the traditional therapies, representing a valuable resource for both the user benefiting from it, both for professionals who use it.The interaction between man and animal can be used to complement and assist the traditional therapies, representing a valuable resource for both the beneficiary and for the professionals who use it.The relationship with the animal facilitates communication and emotional expression when other types of relationships are ineffective. The social workers that manage these interventions are defined pet partners or pet therapists and they use methods of facilitation, mediation, socialization, non-formal education, rehabilitation etc in support of persons with disabilities, through the support of the animal.The course aims to provide the necessary skills to apply this method in many contexts of intervention (social welfare, education, health etc) and to learn, experience, export and spread a methodology that can improve the quality of youth work in supporting disabilities, disseminating the results and benefits at European level.During the training course will be carried out activities that include participatory workshops, simulations, workshops, case studies, practical demonstrations, work experience and focused round table.We will use tools and methods of non-formal learning: role playing games, focus groups, participatory planning, ice breaking activities, brainstorming, participatory storytelling, crossed interviews, speak corner, testimonials, group dynamics and socialization, observational learning, project work, visualization and reporting tools, use of virtual platforms and social network for sharing contents and dissemination of results.The course will involve 33 participants from 10 different European countries, belonging to the following categories: youth workers, social workers, educators, persons with disabilities, volunteers and family members of the disabled.After completing the course, participants will be able to design, plan and manage an animal assisted intervention, they will acquire skills on the training of an assistance dog in support of disability and they will share methodologies and good practice at European level on this field.The participating organizations will have a multiplier effect and will integrate the results of the project in all their activities to inform families, schools, institutions and other organizations about the progress, results, methodologies, skills and knowledge gained.
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