We are convinced that education is the engine for people to develop, and thus feel like useful members of society, regardless of their social situation, origin, or ethnicity. It is an exercise of empowerment and inclusion, which fights against social labels and prejudice. With the activities, we want adolescents to be living and active members of their community, and thus, exercise their rights as citizens fully and democratically.

Fraternidad Suburb, Puertollano. Rural town in the centre of Spain.

Fraternidad suburb is an area where families of different origins and ethnic groups live together. Concretely gypsies, Latins, from East of Europe and Morocco. This people have limited economical resources or are in poverty. It´s a stigmatized suburb with low resources. This situation makes more difficult the education access and the social participation, which makes its young people cannot access a normalized life and are at risk of social exclusion.
With this project we want to give opportunities to the young people through the non-formal education and so, make their potentialities, skills and all what they can offer to their community visible. We know that when the youngsters feel they are valuable, they can change the situation and create a different future for them and their families

The target group are 100 youngsters from the mentioned suburb whom we are going to work directly with. Indirectly families are also included (400 persons aprox). But this Project goes much further than the simply intervention, we are going to create an “alive suburb” where all the people will be involved in the different actitivities. A mobilized neighborhood, that fights for its rights in a democratic way, that creates proposals and that are articulated by a Suburb Council, where all the groups will be represented. It will be the young people themselves who will be in charge of presenting it to thelocal agents.
This project is a proposal to change from inside, where everyone will be protagonist and young people will be able to demonstrate their capacity for commitment and participation.

The key to work with the Youth population of the neighbouthood is to do it within their own context, that is, using street education to approach and reach them.
This means that the educative team will carry out a previous work in Parks and squares of the neighbourhood. Next, they will do group and individual activities and workshops at the Youth center and at the Street. Inside of the Youth center they will make the educational sessions and at the Street, they will carry out all the activities created by the own youngsters. The activities will be set in motion jointly with the neighbourhood´s associations and in colaboration with the social agents.

The main aim is to ensure the Young people inclusion in their local community, showing them as an example of social responsibility and participation.
They will be more aware about the problems around them and they will generate answers and solutions to these issues. The recipe for success is in that they are able to overcome the daily difficulties they find day to day by themselves. We will get they feel motivated and their community have them into account to make decisions. We considerate that this population will be empowered when they work as an agent more within their communityand its voice is taken into account in the necessary changes for their community improve, leaving the marginalization situation. The youngsters will learn to reclaim their interests and their community ones.

It doesn´t exist better way to strengthen democracy and active citizenship than exercise it fully. The young people socially excluded don´t have chances to do it. EMPU-G can provide them experiences and situations they are deprived of just because they have born in a highly depressed area.
They will be in stable groups where they will work weekly issues like tolerance, environment, relationships, addictive substances demand or equality among men and women. After that, they will take decisions which will lead them to create initiatives in their suburb, to improve it and to empower it. The activities will be in the street, making them visible, with 2 objectives: enhance all what the youngsters can contribute to their neighbourhood, and make the citizens aware about different social topics.

Young people, with their vitality and creativity, are capable of changing the world, of making it more egalitarian, fair and sustainable. It is our responsibility to support them to grow as people and to help their community to progress and improve. Young people in social exclusion live with a very negative vision of them, they are expected to be related to crime, low marks, etc. We firmly believe that every person when they find their motivation and feel that someone believes in them, is capable of overcoming all difficulties, discovering that they have value and from there taking off and changing everything around them. We must see young people as an opportunity and not as a problem. Then, everything can change and we are going to give them the opportunity to do so with this project.

- 3 social educators x 3 days per week (8 hours/day*): 58600€
- Insarance: 500€
- Matherials: 4800€

* We will implement a direct work with the youngsters during 3 hours per day. The 5 rest hours will be dedicated to coordinate the project, prepare activities and work in net with the rest of implicated agents.

I would like to know if the people find our project useful, good and effective to improve the opportunities of young people with fewer opportunities from marginalized suburbs.
Also I would like to know if any other organissation from other countries carry out a similar work than us.