The “Now What?” project is a two year European collaborative project (2017- 2019) funded by Erasmus +, Key Action 02, Strategic Partnerships for Youth.
Through interrelated activities and actions, project partners from four (4) European countries are addressing important national and European priorities in the field of empowering and integrating youth in societies, more specifically youth who reside in care institutions and are about to leave and start an independent life.
Taking into account that current provisions for care leavers, throughout Europe, is unclear, insufficient and all too often overlooked, the “Now What?” project aspires the development and provision of a cohesive and consistent package of support, information, advice and guidance to those young people leaving care aged 16-19 years old, so as to achieve a seamless transition into adulthood. The “Now What?” project aims at the development and delivery of an integrated approach in dealing with the preparedeness of care leavers to face the challenges of living an independent life, in compliance with the UN Recommendation in the Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children, which underscores the need to “prepare children to assume self-reliance and to integrate fully in the community, notably through the acquisition of social and life skills”.
The “Now What?” project is premised on the idea that investing in, and adequately resourcing, the acquisition of basic life skills for prospective care leavers is the single most important component for after care success and independence. The “Now What?” project will develop and undertake a comprehensive strategy to better enable care-experienced children in Romania, Portugal, Greece and Albania to achieve their potential and deliver improvements in their educational, social and economic outcomes.
The “Now What?” project is comprised of the following two (2) distinct components:
- Life Skills Workshops
- After Care Plans
and is expected to contribute to the capacity building of:
- one hundred fifty (150) care leavers
- fifteen (15) care professionals
- one hundred fifty (150) mentors who will assist care leavers develop their After Care Plans.