Mission Statement "To infuse Romanian homeless youth with a purpose in life, empowering them to become responsible, mature, contributing members of the society, and attain personal socio-economic independence."
|
How did it start? (info)
In the 25th May 2009 AMURT-team meeting we finalized the target group. We decided to focus on the needs of homeless youth and create a new project providing different services to them.
On 16th September 2009 AMURT in partnership with The General Board of Social Assistance of the Bucharest City Council, started the new project – Center for Transition towards Independent Living in Domnesti for people undergoing crisis situations and for homeless youth aged 18-26. The mission of the project is to infuse Romanian homeless youth with a purpose in life, empowering them to become responsible, mature, contributing members of the society, and to attain personal socio-economic independence.
 In the training of Emergency and Safety Skills, the provision of First Aid is a valuable skill which not only enables the person to help someone when its essentially needed, but its also for his/her personal development in being confident in crisis and other unexpected situations. The “ABC”s of First Aid, focus on critical life-saving intervention, to render before treatment of less serious injuries.
Both the beneficiaries and the staff of AMURT learned the basics of First Aid: ABC stands for Airway, Breathing, and Circulation. This same mnemonic is used by all emergency health professionals.
 Since AMURT Romania started planning the project for the homeless youth, there was the underlying question: “what makes us different from the other NGO and Public services, what is the uniqueness of our centre“.
The NGOs we have visited (Parada, Samu Social, Casa Iona, and Concordia), each have such a “niche”. Being unique in the work of services, is not a competition of being better but finding a “thing(s)” which improves the completeness in a particular service.
 Since the day when the first beneficiaries arrived, AMURT’s apprach has been to identify the personality in each of them which seemingly was left undeveloped in their previous unfavourable environment. On the streets there is no scope of growing up due to the constant struggle for daily survival. Each one holds tightly to a tiny “personal survival kit” minimizing risks by not changing the behaviour nor making unpredictable moves. Their personal growth stops at the very moment when the person becomes dependent on this “survival kit”. Its a very sad thing, which should be avoided by all costs.
 The uniqueness of our centre is the effort to facilitate the beneficiaries’ personal growth, moving them from “boyhood” to men.
To integrate into the society is not only about having a job and apartment, but even more fundamentally to change the behaviour and appearance. The two first stages in the centre focus on the beneficiaries’ behavioural change. In the third stage (Integration) clothes shopping is an important activity. The shopping gives scope for them to change their physical appearance by giving them free scope to choose their clothes but the clothes must be of more grown-up society standard dressing. Sounds simple but this is a challenging task…. an excellent personal development exercise.
Just imagine how the beneficiary’s self-esteemed improves and how proud they feel about themselves, when they are well dressed. This goes a long way to remove that lable of being a “street boy”.
 In the month of February, new plans and strategies were made by Melinda, the Project Manager(right) and Elena, the Program Director (left). On 26th February the youths who have been staying in Domnesti Centre since last November, were “upgraded” to next stage of training, the stage of Adaptation, by in which they take specific duties and responsibilities.
 The day-to-day duties such as cleaning, shopping, and cooking were given to the new youths who joined the Centre in early February. For the older youths, the assigned specific duties are Office Incharge, Storage Incharge, Laundry and Personal Items Incharge, Renovation and Construction Incharge, and Heating and Medicine Incharge.
The life skill training of Domnesti Centre is divided into two programs, the “Transitional Living Program (TLP)” where the youths receive housing, motivational counseling, and life skills in day-to-day activities. In a subsequent “Independent Living Program(ILP)” outside the Center, they learn the real independent life in an apartment, holding a job, paying rent, and taking care of other related life matters by themselves.
 There are three stages, (1) Identification in discovering youth’s personal needs which were left unmet because of homelessness, increase their self-confidence, self-respect, and raising the level of responsibility in order to regain their dignity. (2) Adaptation a process of re-socialization, which is the learning of new norms and values that occurs when joining a new group or activities. (3) Integration by improving the level of knowledge and skills through educational activities that provide increased opportunities for integrating on the social and labor market.
The stage of Adaptation is practiced between the two programs (TLP and ILP). Much as possible the training in done in real-time environment where the youth face the real responsibilities, planning, and mental exercises. One of the tools for mental exercise is to maintain records and provide financial and inventory reports. It also includes money management and store keeping.
 Today (5th Feb) a major change was done in the Food Management skill training where each youth is designing his own shopping list as per pre-made weekly food menu. The shopping list includes the quantity either taken from the Domnesti store room or to be purchased. The approximate unit price must also be included enabling to check with the budget, which is part of the new Money Management skill training.
Items taken from the store room are coordinated with the others who do the shopping at the same day i.e. not to dublicate or getting short of the items (note: shopping is done three times in a week e.g. those who cook on Tuesday and Wednesday do the shopping on Monday).
Before the shopping was done together with one shopping trolley, but now each youth does his own shopping. He also records the actual unit price, and sum it up before going to the cashier. Its more time consuming when two or three youths move around the shop, takes notes, and do the calculations. Its an effective and motivating learning method for the sake of training.
The AMURT Christmas, 23rd December, was totally special for all of us. It was the first Christmas with our beneficiaries and a good opportunity to get to know each other. Not only with the youths but also with the members of Domnesti community.
A joy of the season is watching people’s faces light up when they decorate the Christmas tree or when they see the snow falling from the sky, blanketing the ground with a white cover. It have a certain joy in our hearts.
The AMURT team spent a month or even more preparing for this wonderful event, and the beauty of it is that it brought out the best in all of us. We’ve been watching the boys scurry around for weeks, just to get ready for the magical night. It was an inspiring result.
Decorating the Christmas tree with shining eyes and glad hearts they enjoyed each hand made decoration and every carol rehearsal, as if each were a forgotten treasure that had been found anew.
Chrismas is the time of year when differences are put aside, efforts done in coming together, and renewing the family bonds everyone has with each another.
The magical side with Santa Claus maybe considered for the children but at the eve of Christmas everyone become “child like” in one form or other e.g. in remembering his or her own childhood.
The Christmas festivity included traditional carols and songs, acrobatics and a theater play written by themselves, which included a profound and interesting dialogue between the main actors of a daily street life, with funny characters and witty remarks.
When seeing the talents of the youth, one may wondering what made them to live on the street, being homeless which may no longer matter when knowing they have good chances in integrating back in society. With some support and training they may easily do better than those who never experience such dramatic life as what they did.
Christmas has been for centuries a time for giving. Waiting for the most famous and mythical gift bringer, dressed in red and known as Santa Claus, something magical happened.
For the first time in history, we were surprised to discover the invisible storekeeper of Santa Claus, who is 199 years old, just with one year younger than Santa. Magically he was visible for those in Domnesti when pushing the boxes of gift to be delivered in Bulgaria. His joy of being able to present himself and being the one giving the gifts through his magical hands. Empty cookie jar got filled, clothes taken from the air, and magical salt converted boxes of gifts.
Thanks to our sponsors from OTP Bank, who have donated us a beautiful Christmas tree, and to our media partner, the Romanian Radio Broadcasting Company (Societatea Romana de Radiodifuziune) who supported us in our charity campaign ‘Warm up a soul’, we managed to organize an unforgettable Christmas Eve. An event where the youths and members from Domnesti community got an opportunity to be together and share a wonderful time.
We want to thank you all for your support and we wish you a Happy New 2010, full of heatlh, joy and peace!
Merry Chrismas and Happy New Year 2010!!
I have a gift, the world needs my gift, and I am ready to share that gift
|
What does AMURT do? We in AMURT believe that the best assistance is that which encourages and enables people to develop themselves, and therefore we emphasize educational programs, and programs that lead towards socio-economic independence, as well as shorter term relief distribution and aid.
In addition to some essential goods distribution programmes and starting a successful homeopathic medical clinic, AMURT's main service work in Romania has been operating a family-style placement centre as an alternative to State children's homes, serving a total of 15 boys in Domnesti village near Bucharest since 1991. On 15th September 2008 the Domnesti home project was successfully completed. Multifunctional Center AMURT recognizes that many homeless and runaway youth are the victims of neglect, abandonment, or severe family conflict. They can't return to their families, but they are not yet equipped to live on their own.
Without someone to guide them on their path to self-sufficient adulthood, homeless youth risk becoming involved in dangerous lifestyles. Many use drugs or alcohol, or participate in survival sex and prostitution to stay fed and alive. Protecting young people from such fates and helping them thrive are one of the goals of AMURT - Multifunctional Center. |
English
Română