What is Step by Step for Project

According to official statistics, about 18% of Sofia students in the 15-18 age group cannot find their realization in society after completing their education and are doomed to social isolation and low social status, due to the different barriers and many public prejudices. The key for getting out of social exclusion is in the formation and realization of sustainable practical and life skills. At present, the school environment does not provide activities that emphasis on socially meaningful coping skills and a successful implementation on the labor market. Through the project “Step-by-Step from School to the Labor Market”, we are seeking solutions o the challenges of integrating students at risk of social exclusion and marginalization and outlining possible solutions to the problem by proposing an alternative approach.

The main objective of the project is the formation of knowledge and skills to support youth employment and motivation for professional realization of young people from minorities and young people at risk of dropping out of school. The aim is to create opportunities for volunteers from different countries to carry out informal trainings and to engage in intercultural dialogue with the young people and thus to contribute to their successful integration into the labor market and to support the development of their social skills. The different activities of the project will provide opportunities, both for volunteers to gain valuable experience for their future realization, and for students ages 15-18 from risk groups to receive support in their personally development and career orientation and for improving their financial competence. For the purposes of the project, our organization will accept four volunteers between 18 and 30 years old from Portugal and Spain – who want to work with students at risk of dropping out and unemployment, irrespective of gender, religion and ethnicity.

The project will be implemented by the National Association of Resource Teachers (NART), which works in close cooperation with the Regional Center for Support of the Process of Inclusive Education - Sofia-city where the trainings and meetings with students and young people at risk will be carried out. Partner organizations, specializing in working with disadvantaged groups - "Center for Educational Integration of Children and Students from Ethnic Minorities" within the Ministry of Education and Science and the International NGO ProEuropean Network for Inclusion of Disadvantaged Groups will cooperate in the project activities. The volunteers will be involved in all project activities in a long-term volunteer service. Through various means, the well-motivated volunteers will facilitate the transition of young people at risk of dropping out, from school to their first responsibilities at work.

The young people will gain realistic judgment regarding their own opportunities and career possibilities. During their meetings with volunteers in their schools, they will develop skills for preparing CVs and a cover letters in accordance with the latest requirements. They will also learn how to behave and react during an interview with an employer and in a difficult work situation. They will be able to understand which are the most important computer skills and their rights and responsibilities as future workers, and how to plan their budget rationally. On the other hand, the young people will experience new, interesting cultures and expand their horizons, which will inevitably reduce the risk of social exclusion and difficult adaptation in society.

The results of the workshops held in the schools and the meetings with experts and professionals, and NGOs will be presented at the final round table and respectively in each of the volunteers’ countries. The information materials and the interactive blog developed by the volunteers will be disseminated both through the organization's website and by e-mail to all the schools, non-governmental, public organizations and our partner organizations within the project.

The young people, especially young people at risk of social exclusion and difficult labor market integration, will be stimulated to participate in prosocial and civic activities, will learn their labor rights and the qualities that will make them competitive on the labor market. It is important to develop a mode thinking for constructing and defending a person's position from primary to school. Thus, young people will become confident in addressing each issue, which in turn will ensure their future civic activism. Personal motivation and realistic self-assessment will help their successful realization after graduation.