Attica, Chania and the Peloponnese all face real socio-economic pressure, from youth unemployment to housing insecurity and social exclusion, which makes integrated support for young people leaving care all the more necessary if they are going to build genuine autonomy rather than simply be left to manage alone.
Leaving residential care between the ages of 18 and 25 is a critical transition to face without a family support network, financial resources or independent living skills. Research shows severe gaps in financial literacy, housing access and job readiness among these young people, leaving them at disproportionately high risk of poverty, homelessness and social exclusion.
The project
The project works to strengthen the social inclusion and socio-economic integration of young care leavers through structured experiential workshops, personalised coaching and corporate volunteering, addressing global goals around education, decent work, reduced inequality and sustainable communities.
The approach is participant-centred, combining hands-on experiential learning with personalised psychosocial and career support, built to last through established structures that could, in time, scale to reach more young people leaving care across the country.
Who the project is for
The project's direct beneficiaries are 20 care leavers aged 18 to 25, transitioning from residential care into independent living.
Its impact reaches further, to at least 60 people: child protection professionals, local community actors, employers, and corporate volunteers acting as mentors, who also benefit from the project's wider network and its methodology's potential to scale.
Project name: TRANSITION TO INDEPENDENCE LAB
Proposing organisation: EXELIXI ZOIS ASTIKI MI KERDOSKOPIKI ETAIRIA
Area of intervention: Inclusion & Social Development
Country: Italy