ESC: Colours without borders

Hatápont Tanoda ("ImpactPoint Afterschool") is a department of Association Co-Efficient. Our public benefit association has been providing youth work since 2010 by addressing the age group of 7 to 30 years. Our programs are extracurricular activities of education aiming for competence development of individuals and groups, helping the involved young people to become assertive adults, who can consciously build and fulfil their ambitions. The programs and services organised by us are making it possible for young people to partake in non-formal educational learning processes without any distinction to their gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, mental and physical condition while providing them support and assistance for their development through a multicultural approach. To date, we involved thousands of participants in our programs, and from the beginning we have built close contact with many Hungarian and foreign civil, youth organizations, child welfare and public education institutions. The themes and topics of our programs have a wide range: disability and inclusion, creativity and active citizenship, drama and other forms of art as a social tool, safe internet use, sexual and emotional education and many more. Our programs are based on non-formal educational methods, where peer learning, giving responsibility to the participants in implementation, mutual feedback and evaluation and reflection on the learning process are essential components and always present. Professionals in the organization have the following qualifications: social politician, social Worker, HR consultant, rehabilitation mentor, labour market trainer, social and art therapist, sociologist, behaviour analysts. In 2013, we opened our office in Újpest. Ever since, we have been cooperating with the local government of Újpest and several educational and cultural institutions. At the local level we have had various educational workshops in schools, we provide volunteering opportunities in our programs (including the national framework IKSZ) and we give youngsters information about and access to European mobilities. In the past years we have implemented and taken part as partners in numerous projects based on the principles mentioned above in the framework of European funding programmes (Erasmus+, Europe for Citizens etc.). In September 2014 we have opened the ImpactPoint Afterschool (HatásPont Tanoda) in Gyöngyös, offering daily services for children and young people endangered by early school leaving. The youngsters often come from a disadvantaged background, have multiple disadvantages, come from Roma families or have special educational needs. The Afterschool program aims for the development of the following: - Basic competences needed for success in school (reading, writing, calculations, spatial abilities, representation, formal logic) - Other personal competences (autonomy, sense responsibility, reliability, precision, thoroughness, decision-making, monotony tolerance, dexterity) - Social competences (compliance, leadership skills, determination, contact making skills, cooperation, interpersonal flexibility, solution oriented attitude, confidence, self-reflection, situation awareness, assertiveness etc.) - Cognitive competences (attention, concentration, creativity, memory, information processing, analytical skills, problem solving, critical thinking) The Afterschool has a complex function. For the competence development the children take part in individual and group activities conducted by tutors, mentors and volunteers and external visitors (sensitization workshops). For community building, we organize open days, thematic events, excursions and vacations together, which involve not only the youngsters but their parents and families too and contributes to the forming of a supportive community. This is highly important because the time spent in the Afterschool becomes an alternative to many high-risk activities and situations potentially sought by the youngsters and increases their motivation to take part in the learning processes despite their difficulties. In Gyöngyös and its region since the opening of the Afterschool we have cooperated with many public educational institutions, child services and the municipality too and the Afterschool became a significant actor in the network of social services. Maintaining our services in Gyöngyös is top priority in the agenda of our association, because we believe that Afterschool is a valuable opportunity for the development and support of the local children and community.