Council of Europe

EVENT: “KEEPING THE DOOR OPEN – SUPPORT TO YOUNG PEOPLE LEAVING CARE” VILNIUS, 4-8 OCTOBER 2009

Youth workshop (4-6 October)

A group of 15 young people from 12 Council of Europe member states, who are either in after care or in a process of leaving care, got together in Vilnius on October 4 -6 to discuss their experiences on leaving care processes and different existing practices. With the help of facilitators, the young participants prepared a keynote speech and three workshop presentations for the European conference ‘Keeping the Door Open – Support to Young People Leaving Care’. Young people’s messages and voices were also heard during the opening session and the closing statement of the event.
 

The youth workshop was organised by SOS Children’s Villages International, with the support of the Council of Europe.

See the picture gallery of the youth workshop here

European Conference (7-8 October)

Further to the youth workshop, the European Conference  ‘Keeping the Door Open – Support to Young People Leaving Care’ took place on 7-8 October.

The event was organised by the Council of the Baltic Sea States and the Lithuanian Ministry of Social Security and Labour in cooperation with the Council of Europe, UNICEF and SOS Children’s Villages International. In addition to young participants, it gathered policy makers, academics and practitioners from various areas in Europe, who were given a chance to discuss tools and methods to increase the quality and efficiency of support to young people leaving care. Plenary presentations, seminars and workshops helped participants to develop best practices and exchange views on the four main topics of the conference: emotional stability and social well-being, education, employment, and housing. The young people’s input to the conference programme was warmly welcomed.

See the final programme here

To watch the video of the young people’s messages to professionals, click here.

The meeting report will be available online soon.