2024-07-12 12:58:43
“Man cannot grow on his own, like a grass or a tree. It is a social being that must grow in a social environment. Not the kind that repels – the kind that leads a person through life with love,” says director R. Česnaitė.
A woman with a teacher’s education speaks about young people with great love, but admits that there was a time when she assured her relatives that she would never work with children. She didn’t like school as a child, and she didn’t see herself there as an adult. However, one day everything changed. R. Česnaitė did not abandon the idea of meaningful self-improvement – that’s how the day center for children and youth opened its doors in the port city four years ago.
However, the woman still did not abandon her desire to continue meaningful activities and discover new forms of it. The director of VšĮ “Liberi” dreamed of showing a more beautiful side of the world to those children who have not seen it yet – the target group was children and young people experiencing social exclusion, delinquent behavior (increased risk, having a tendency to violate existing norms of behavior). Then a project was born, the participants of which were 60 children and young people aged 7-29. These young people are not only from the day center itself, but also from the whole city of Klaipėda.
“The future generation is important to me. It is important because the future generation is also my children. Children, with all their experiences, both good and bad, will very soon enter the labor market and contribute to economic growth or decline. What matters to me is whether they will build or destroy.
Most of today’s youth are consumers who are interested in receiving but not motivated to create. Many of them do not even realize that it can be different, that there is a choice. The age of technology, pace of life and emotional cooling have violated the social roots. It is very difficult to restore them, but extremely necessary”, says R. Česnaitė.
The most important thing for children is care
During the two-year project, the woman saw that not every child is familiar with the care of an adult. Children who lacked this feeling were fascinated by simple activities accompanied by great love and sincerity. As an example, R. Česnaitė remembers educational trips that made a huge impression on the project participants not only because of the places they saw for the first time.
“Although we live by the sea, some of us got to know Šilute region and the Curonian Lagoon during the trip. We were impressed by the whole process, from the moment we got on the bus – the care, care, fellowship of adults. Something they haven’t experienced before.
One child told an elderly woman that he wished she was his grandmother. I say, after all, you have a grandmother. And the child replied that she doesn’t care about him that much. And I felt myself that the relationship is the most important thing for children”, R. Česnaitė shared her experience.
The specialist remembers that some children and young people felt rejected because they came from poorer families with many children, where they did not receive enough care, and sometimes they also saw parents with addictions. Therefore, it is extremely important to emphasize that these young people are important and sufficient people for others.
“However, it is wrong to think that children experiencing social exclusion are only raised by parents who have addictions or behave immorally. Not only. It is often the case with children who live in “impeccable reputations” or simply unremarkable “standard” families,” said R. Česnaitė.
A surprise from the team
Project participants had the opportunity to participate not only in field trips, but also to engage in many other activities that develop creativity. The young people got to know the behind-the-scenes of photography, filming or installation, touched the theater world, carried out creative thinking tasks, participated in art therapies aimed at developing emotional intelligence, learned to prepare food and got involved in group or individual self-analysis consultations.
The investments of the European Union (EU), as R. Česnaitė says, significantly contributed to the roots of this project – now it remains to grow wings. The fact that the team of the day care center working with children has not stopped is also shown by the new works – at the beginning of July, the second center of VšĮ “Liberi” was opened in Klaipėda.
“Europe gave us the opportunity to show these young people a different part of the world. In ten years, I would like to ask these people – I have no doubt that the experiences will remain in their memory”, shared the thoughts of the director of VšĮ “Liberi”.
It is true that the project is participating in the “European Sails 2023” elections initiated by the Ministry of Finance, R. Česnaitė found out only after the project became the winner of the “Investments in community” nomination – it was a surprise from the team.
“It became an even greater impetus to go further and create something new, to look at other European projects and to see opportunities for children,” said the specialist.
Meaningful works will be noticed this year as well. The Ministry of Finance is already initiating the “European Sails 2024” election for the sixteenth time – it invites other projects financed by EU funds to participate in this, which will be presented to the public.
You can register for the European Sails 2024 project here.
2024-07-12 12:58:43