Prison, Reintegration, Education. Trainings to support social and labour market (re)integration of people in or after detention
15/KA2AE/13563
The summary of the 4th international meeting and the workshop booklet
Individual customised support: mentoring, individual development/training and learning paths.
The fourth project international meeting took place in Dolný Kubín, Slovakia on February 23 and 24, 2017. All organisations of the project: Váltó-sáv Alapítvány – HU, Gartycious Grudas – LT, Rubikon centrum – CZ, Slawek foundation – PL, EDUKOS – SK, were present at the meeting. Two representatives of each organisation attended the program. The host organisation of the meeting was KIC EDUKOS.
The program started at 10:00 a.m. on February 23, 2017 at seat of the Consultation and information center EDUKOS. Otília Škarbová, the vice-presiedent of EDUKOS, started the meeting with an official welcome. After that she spoke about her own personal experience in working with the (ex)convicts as well as the cooperating institutions involved in the resocialisation activities that she is in charge of. On the basis of this a fruitful discussion developed. The participants brought up and compared the various problems and obstacles that they faced in their own countries in organising the same kind of activities and exchanged ideas and suggestion of possible working solutions. Among others the problem of fund-raising was especially stressed and discussed. Following this Katarína Trubanavá, the leader of the community service project of EDUKOS, presented briefly the community service project to the participants and together with her long-term client, Ján Podbrežný, presented a case study illustrating the principles of mentoring, individual support and skill development before and after release. After the presentation of the case a short discussion on the future perspective of the case and the focus of the next steps in the client´s individual plan followed.
The second part of the day was devoted to the presentations of the meeting´s topic: individual customised support: mentoring, individual development/training and learning paths. A representative of each organisation presented the character and scope of activities realised in this context. Here is a short overview of the presentations:
Váltó-sáv Alapítvány presented their own understanding of the method in terms of theoretical context as well as the specific character of the provided practical service. They also described in detail the various protocols of work with the client and the necessary documentation needed in this process. Gartycious Grudas presented the specific method of “forgiveness” as an individual modal of moral education. Firstly, they presented its general meaning and effects in the context of guiding (ex)convicts in their process before and after release as well as the practical methods used in this process. In the second part of their presentation the practical actual exercises for developing forgiveness were described. KIC EDUKOS presented their mentoring and tutoring programs done inside prison and outside of prison mainly in cooperation with the Labour office and the probation and mediation service. After describing the specificities of work and scope of activities in both context, the project “Steps to a successful return” with its booklet designed to aid (ex)convicts in their reintegration process as well as the two courses of mentoring and tutoring were presented to the participants. Rubikon centrum presented their own Roma mentoring program done in cooperation with the probation and mediation service. They presented the specific requirements, methods and results of this program. The second part of their presentation dealt with their reintegration and peer mentoring programs. Once again the requirements, methods and results obtained in this program were presented in detail. Slawek Foundation presented the scope of their activities done both before and after release with a focus on their mentoring aspect. The presented activities included the testimony and guardian angel programs, pilgrimage, individual conversations, mysterium, movietherapy and family therapy as pre-release activities and coaching for prisoners and the first steps to freedom as post-release activities.
The program of the second day of the meeting, February 24, 2017, consisted of the visit to the prison and remand center of Banská Bystrica. The vice-director of the institution presented to the participants the history, renovation, capacity, structure of the prison population and the specificities of the prison regime in Slovakia. The discussion that developed on the basis of the presented facts focused mainly on the work conditions of the inmates of Slovak prisons, their specific status as employees in the Slovak prison system as well as the educational and cultural facilities and activities of the visited institution. After the presentation a visit of the prison´s premises followed.
Project website: http://www.preproject.hu/
Websites of partners:
Váltó-sáv Alapítvány (HU): www.valtosav.hu
Slawek Foundation (PL): http://www.fundacjaslawek.org/
EDUKOS (SK): http://www.edukos.sk/
RUBIKON Centrum (CZ): http://www.rubikoncentrum.cz/
Charity and support fund „Garstyčios grūdas” (LT): http://grudas.com/en/
