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Meeting
in Belgium 23th - 27th March 2011 |
 Workshop
1 - "Public Centre for Social Help"
The meeting in Belgium was attended by both students and teachers. During workshop 1 participants were given a detailed account of the work
carried out by the Public Centre for Social Help. This presentation was
given by staff and students of the centre. The volunteer staff aspect was
particularly highlighted as was the degree of success the centre has
had.
Workshop
2 - Social measures to assist the disadvantaged at national, regional and local levels
This workshop concentrated on identifying the measures and agencies
involved in working to combat disadvantage in each country. A
questionnaire was circulated in advance of the Belgium meeting seeking to
ascertain if similar structures existed for such work in all of the
partner countries or if significant differences might emerge. The survey
results showed a high level of uniformity between the partner countries
particularly in respect of the work of voluntary agencies. Each country
presented a case study of at least two agencies working with disadvantaged
people with an emphasis on the type of services and supports being
offered, the staffing levels, funding sources and difficulties encountered
in providing a professional service. Organisations discussed included:
Caritas, Society of St. Vincent dePaul, NASC, Employment centres etc. A
number of references were made to specific disadvantaged groups during the
presentations, for example the Roma community in Hungary, mentally and
physically disabled people in Turkey, people with alcohol addiction in
Finland, Unemployed people in Germany, Ireland and Hungary. The sources of
funding available to these organisations was also examine and the very
high degree of dependence on donations, charity events and volunteer
activity was noted in all of the partner countries. Finally the role of
education in contributing to breaking the cycle of disadvantae was
discussed particularly in the context of life long learning.
Workshop 3 - Communication and Dissemination
The focus of this workshop was on improving communication between project
partners, ensuring that a forum was available for the exchange of project
documents and presentations, and providing for a high level of project
dissemination. Presentations were given on the project website, project
Facebook page and on the use of Google Docs as a platform for information
exchange. A member of the Spanish team will produce tutorial material for
the partners on the use of Google Docs.
Workshop 4 - Preparation for meeting in Finland
The
itinerary and workshop topics for the next meeting in Finland were
discussed and the
date for the meeting in Hungary was agreed.
Other Activities
The social programme during this meeting included a Walloon Soirée where
partners from each country attended in traditional clothes, a hairdressing
show presented by students of Ecole Industrielle Marcinelle-Monceau
and a visit to Brussels. The meeting events were filmed by Ecole Industrielle Marcinelle-Monceau.
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