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Syrjäytymisvaaran välttäminen
Start date: Jan 1, 2015, End date: Dec 31, 2015 PROJECT  FINISHED 

Social isolation is a great riskfactor in the life of a youth facing experiences regarding mental health. When person feels socially excluded, cornered and everything becomes hopeless, the risk of suicide grows. Many of the youths at "Verstas" fear beingstigmatized therefore social contacts are few. The youths at "Verstas" have set as the goal for the project, the will to avoid social exclusion and falling out of society: in the mind of the youths at "Verstas", everyone has the right to belong in society. The goal of the project is to avoid and prevent social exclusion. Finding a common language, enhancing language skills and cultural exchange. The growing of self-esteem and courage is achieved by experiencing feelings of success which in turn can be achieved for exemple within group activities during the project. Self-esteem is growing by doing. With courage to meet new people helps to shed stereotypes. Working together on a common project gives new experiences and opens up ne point of views. Working with different kind of people grows social skills and gives the courage to take the shy ones along. Exchanging life experiences by using different methods for example cards. Sharing experiences and ideas for exemple during conversation around themes for exemple what's it like to be a young adult in Finland or in Bulgaria. Understanding that each person has their own strengths and challenges which they have to work on. Understanding and encouraging those who are less active so that everyone will be heard. Everyone is given space and time in the groups. During the project the interest towards the affairs in society grows. Picturing your own possibilities and faith in the future grows. With the help of different groups youths ability to solve problems improves. The directors are helping in the background but the youths have the biggest role; the youths get to have the feeling that they can control larger schemes, they are being trustworthy and they can take resbonsibility. This is youth exchange project. The most important method of operation are group activity, open and straightforward dialogue and finding a common language. By experiencing the feeling of success evoked by these actions, shared objectives of the project can be achieved. During the project there are total of 43, 25 participants from Finland and 18 from Bulgaria. On the weeks the meetings take palce 14 people from Bulgaria visit Finland and 18 people from Finland visit Bulgaria. The youths have meny different kinds of limiting factors related to mental health. They have social anxiety which usually trace back to experiences of bullying. This project gives the youths experiences of succeeding and builds their self-esteem through coping. It helps the youths to win prejudices. It also encourages to meet new people and to learn about foreign culture. This way the returning to work or studying becomes easier. This prevents social exclusion. " Us together across borders in a common Europe". Enchancing the recognition of the theme of the project, which is the prevention of social exclusion within national and international level is done in the forms of newspaper articles, a blog, seminars and a photograph exhibition.To seek expand the recognition of the project to other organizations in Finland and in Bulgaria through seminars. Also seek to expand project management skills with new partners in the future.

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