SPRINGBOARD TO LIFE
EVERY CHILD HAS THE RIGHT TO AN EDUCATION
As children in orphanages and children’s homes grow older, they eventually have to leave their foster environments and attempt to integrate into society. C4C’s Springboard to Life program prepares teenagers and young adults in institutions for this transition by teaching them social and practical life skills to make them employable. These skills become their Springboard to Life!
Active since 2002, C4C’s teachers and mentors have helped thousands of children from children’s homes reach their full potential, find their bearings and have a real chance in life. The initiative focuses on tutoring and mentoring children from early teenage up until they are young adults. It aims to significantly improve the chance of success in their personal and professional life, mainly by offering them vocational educational courses and mentoring.
Teaching topics currently include:
- Computer literacy, IT
- Financial literacy
- Music
- English classes
- Baking/cooking
- Creative arts and music
- Drumming
- Personal defence courses (focusing on girls and women)
- First Aid Courses
- Yoga
- Psychological counselling
- Handicrafts
- Tutoring
C4C teachers regularly visit 20-26 orphanages and other facilities to teach their students in a lively way once or twice a week. The response to the program and the increasing demand for teacher and tutor placement demonstrates how much this assistance is needed.
The need for mentors:
Having accompanied institutionalized young adults in their transition into society for many years, we have come to realize that one of the most critical factors in this process is the availability of a role-model the young adult respects and looks up to: a mentor – someone to help or counsel with when challenges arise!
With the above in mind, C4C has created a mentoring program for children during this important period in their lives. We have successfully recruited mentors from amongst professionals, managers and entrepreneurs – all with a passion to share their experiences and stories with children less fortunate than their own! And as they become part of the children’s lives, they aim to assist these young people to stand on their own two feet and claim their place in life.
Hand in hand initiative
Another aspect that is sorely lacking in the lives of children living in institutional care is the intergenerational contact that is usually found in functioning families. For this reason, we started the Hand in Hand initiative, bringing together two generations: residents of homes for the elderly and children from nearby children’s homes. The idea has worked well and both groups enjoy meeting each other very much (check it out here).
HelpMate – a helping hand and life-line for educators in children´s homes:
An intricate part of our long-standing work with children in orphanages is communication and cooperation with those who have the greatest influence on their lives and personal development – their educators and staff. The demanding nature of their work and frequent contact with them led us to the idea of turning our attention in their direction. The result is the HelpMate project – an online training course for staff in children’s homes and other foster care institutions, recently fully accredited by the Ministry of Education. We realized that by influencing the growth and awareness of those closest to the children, we would be given the opportunity to have a greater impact on their development and lives. We are preparing a separate page on this initiative, but if you are interested in more information now, please do not hesitate to contact us.
