AFTERCARE START
THE YEAR 2022 IS PREPARING TO TEAR IT'S LAST PAGE FROM THE CALENDAR, A YEAR FULL OF EXCITING EXPERIENCES, INTENSE WORK AND COUNTLESS CHALLENGES FOR THE SCUT SOCIAL SERVICES ASSOCIATION TEAM. AT SCUT, NEW LIFE STORIES ARE WRITTEN, AND THE TEAM MEMBERS GET INVOLVED, ALONGSIDE EACH BENEFICIARY WHO CROSSES THEIR DOORSTEP. WE LAUGH, CRY, REJOICE AND LEARN WITH THE PEOPLE WHO ASK FOR OUR HELP, SEEKING TO OFFER EACH OF THEM THAT SPACE WHERE THEY FEEL SUPPORTED, ACCEPTED, UNDERSTOOD, A SPACE THAT MANY OF THE YOUNG PEOPLE FROM THE FOSTER CARE CENTRE WE WORK WITH COME TO CALL FAMILY .
YOUNG PEOPLE FROM THE AGE OF 16 BENEFIT FROM ASSOCIATION SERVICES SUCH AS SOCIAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL COUNSELLING, PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT GROUPS AND INDEPENDENT LIVING SKILLS, SOCIO-RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES AND CAMPS, ALL OF WHICH AIM TO FACILITATE THE TRANSITION FROM LIFE IN THE FOSTER CARE CENTRE TO AN INDEPENDENT ONE.
A GREAT ACHIEVEMENT THIS YEAR WAS TO BE ABLE TO OFFER YOUNG PEOPLE, AFTER LEAVING THE FOSTER CARE CENTRE, THE OPPORTUNITY TO MOVE INTO RENTED APARTMENTS, FINANCIALLY SUPPORTED BY THE ASSOCIATION, DURING WHICH THEY ARE ENCOURAGED AND PREPARED BY SPECIALISTS TO TAKE BIG STEPS TOWARDS INDEPENDENT LIFE. THE CHALLENGES ARE NUMEROUS, THE TRAUMAS WITH WHICH THESE YOUNG PEOPLE START THEIR JOURNEY IN LIFE OFTEN SABOTAGING THEIR ACHIEVEMENT OF SOCIO-PROFESSIONAL AUTONOMY, BUT THE RESULTS OF THE WORK WITH THE ASSOCIATION'S SPECIALISTS SHOW THAT IT IS POSSIBLE, THAT THE SAD LIFE STORY OF AN ORPHAN CAN BECOME A STORY OF THE SUCCESS OF A YOUNG MAN WHO IS OFTEN REBORN LIKE THE PHOENIX FROM IT’S OWN ASHES.
ONE SUCH STORY IS THAT OF SEBASTIAN, A YOUNG MAN WHO REACHED THE AGE OF 17 IN THE ASSOCIATION'S PROGRAM, DEEPLY DISTRUSTFUL OF PEOPLE AND OF HIMSELF, OF THE HELP THEY COULD OFFER HIM, WITH MAJOR ADJUSTMENT PROBLEMS TO NEW LIFE CONTEXTS.
HOW ELSE COULD HE HAVE BEEN, A YOUNG MAN ABANDONED BY HIS OWN PARENTS WITH WHOM HE NO LONGER KEEPS IN TOUCH, WHO LIVED ONLY IN THE FOSTER CARE CENTRE, WITHOUT THE OPPORTUNITY TO FORM HIS OWN VISION OF LIFE? HOWEVER, THE SCUT TEAM SAW IN SEBASTIAN, BEYOND APPEARANCES, HIS POTENTIAL AND THROUGH CONSTANT WORK IN WHICH EMPHASIS WAS PLACED ON CREATING A WARM RELATIONSHIP, OF TRUST AND EMOTIONAL SUPPORT OF THE YOUNG MAN, HE BEGAN TO GAIN MORE AND MORE CONFIDENCE IN HIMSELF, BUT ALSO IN THE PEOPLE AROUND HIM.
HE RECENTLY SHARED A GREAT JOY WITH US, GETTING HIS DRIVER'S LICENSE. HE DIDN'T THINK HE WOULD BE ABLE TO GET IT, BECAUSE HE DOESN'T ALWAYS KNOW WHAT POTENTIAL HE HAS, THAT HE IS STRONG AND FULL OF RESOURCES, AND HE SUCCEEDED. HE ALWAYS SAYS THAT HE IS AMAZED HOW HE COULD BECOME SO ATTACHED TO US, STRANGERS TO HIM BUT STILL SO CLOSE. TODAY, SEBASTIAN IS OUT OF FOSTER CARE, HAS A JOB, LIVES IN AN APARTMENT RENTED BY OUR ASSOCIATION AND IS PREPARING TO TAKE OVER THE RENT COSTS.
SEBASTIAN HAS ALWAYS AMAZED US WITH HIS WARMTH AND ALTRUISM, ALWAYS READY TO HELP OTHER YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE SAME SITUATION AS HIMSELF, AND HE IS A GREAT ANIMAL LOVER.
ANOTHER STORY IS THAT OF ANDREEA, A YOUNG WOMAN FROM THE FOSTER CARE CENTRE WHO ONLY SPOKE HUNGARIAN. SHE KNEW VERY FEW WORDS IN ROMANIAN. IN ADDITION TO MISTRUST, ISOLATION TENDENCIES, CONFLICTUAL AND REBELLIOUS BEHAVIOUR, THERE WERE ALSO COMMUNICATION/ LANGUAGE BARRIERS. MISUNDERSTOOD, CRITICIZED, WITHOUT THE POSSIBILITY TO COMMUNICATE HER WISHES, NEEDS, ANDREEA MANIFESTED A REBELLIOUS BEHAVIOUR, SOMETIMES EVEN VERBALLY VIOLENT. AND SHE ARRIVED AT SCUT, BROUGHT BY THE SOCIAL WORKER OF THE CENTRE WHERE SHE WAS INSTITUTIONALIZED.
DISTRUSTFUL, QUIET AND WITHDRAWN AT THE BEGINNING SHE SLOWLY INTEGRATED INTO THE ACTIVITIES OF THE CAMPS AND BEGAN TO APPROACH US. WHAT SHE NEEDED MOST WAS ATTENTION, WARMTH AND LOVE.
IT WAS ESSENTIAL TO GIVE HER TRUST AND SUPPORT, TO SEE HER, ANDREEA, AS A YOUNG WOMAN WITH MANY RESOURCES AND A LOT OF LOVE TO GIVE TO OTHERS. THE HOURS OF SOCIAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL COUNSELLING, THE SESSIONS OF INDEPENDENT LIFE SKILLS, WERE FRUITFUL FOR ANDREEA AND NOW SHE IS MORE CONFIDENT TO LEAVE THE CENTRE WHERE SHE IS NOW, TOWARDS AN INDEPENDENT LIFE. SHE KNOWS SHE CAN COUNT ON OUR SUPPORT BUT, SHE SAYS, SHE NOW HAS MORE COURAGE TO FACE THE CHALLENGES OF INDEPENDENT LIFE. BUT ABOVE ALL, SHE LEARNED TO LAUGH AND ENJOY LIFE.
ISN'T IT WORTH FIGHTING TOGETHER FOR EACH STORY AND GIVING IT THE POSSIBILITY OF A HAPPY ENDING? THESE LIFE STORIES INSPIRE US AND GIVE US THE STRENGTH TO CONTINUE OUR WORK. LIKE SEBASTIAN AND ANDREEA, THE ASSOCIATION CARES FOR ABOUT 120 YOUNG PEOPLE FROM FOSTER CARE CENTRES, A LARGE VOLUME OF WORK BUT UNDERTAKEN BY THE SCUT TEAM. BUT WE CONSIDER ALL THESE ACHIEVEMENTS TO BE OURS, WE THE TEAM OF SPECIALISTS AND YOU, WHO OFFER SUPPORT AND INVOLVEMENT, ALL THIS SO THAT THEY HAVE A CHANCE AT A BETTER AND DIGNIFIED FUTURE.
THE SCUT STORY CONTINUES ... AND WE HOPE THAT NEXT YEAR WILL BE AT LEAST AS TUMULTUOUS AND BEAUTIFUL AS THIS ONE, WITH MANY CHALLENGES AND LIFE LESSONS, BUT ALSO WITH PEOPLE WHO BELIEVE IN A BETTER WORLD WITH US. WE WISH YOU A NEW YEAR WITH GOOD HEALTH AND HAPPY LIFE STORIES, AND DON'T FORGET THE LESS FORTUNATE!
AND IF.......WE HELP, YOU HELP, THEN......THEY HAVE A CHANCE! WITH LOVE AND GRATITUDE, THE SCUT TEAM