ESC: Social and youth work at Foyer L'Aubépine 1 - Ciney

The non-profit organization “Foyer l’Aubépine” was created in 1965 and is located in Havelange, not far from the big city of Liège and close to the towns of Ciney and Marche-en-Famenne. Aims: The association holds the official title of S.R.G (= “Service Résidentiel Général”) given by the French Community government. In this frame, the main aims of Aubépine are: social help, education, host, support of youngsters with difficult socio-economical and familial backgrounds. The action supposes a close collaboration between the youngsters’ relatives, the youngsters themselves and the workers of the SRG and a relationship based on trust in order to empower the public on the long term. Thanks to the activities of the Aubépine, youngsters and their relatives can experiment constructive experiences in order to grow towards a more stable future. The workers’ main objective is to support the youngsters in everyday life in order to help them find the educational, professional and personal path that suits them best. SRG of Aubépine works in partnerships only if mandated by SPJ (“Service de Protection de la Jeunesse), SAJ (Service d’Aide à la Jeunesse) and Youth Court (“Tribunal de la Jeunesse”). Their social aim is to offer a specialized support to youngsters depending on the official youth help services in the frame of the “Code de l’Aide à la Jeunesse de 2019”. The association can perform other actions having direct or indirect links with this aim. Target groups: Aubépine’s team supports daily 15 youngsters encountering all sorts of difficulties, in dangerous situation (health or security), lacking educational support due to their familial environment or to their behavior. The organization hosts minors from 3 up to 18 years benefitting from a right of protection and deal with their relatives. The public comes from three different regions (maximum 40 kilometers from Havelange). Their action covers 50 municipalities but of course with a special focus on the municipality of Havelange. In order to have a broader impact on the local level, le Foyer de l’Aubépine is part of a collective of local associations called « Droûve tès oûyes », which aims at working locally together and enhancing their capacity in working in network and thereby informing at best the public of the possible opportunities at their scale. They organize four meetings a year to create working groups depending on interests and needs. Regular activities: -Accommodate and host the youngsters: providing them with food, care, residential activities, regular support and projects during the time they would benefit from a time outside of their daily routine and usual environment; -Welcome the youngsters’ relatives: working and discussion groups to help them overcoming the challenges, reinforcing the family bonds; -Help the youngsters finding a project being beneficial for them, their relatives and the association. Other: Foyer Aubépine is part of a non-formal network of local associations called "Droûve tès-oûyes"(DTO). This network is described as a "short circuit network of solidarity for socio-cultural profit". The member organizations have to be active in the municipality of Havelange and be "associations of natural persons". They all share a number of common values and a charter. Below, the list of member organizations of DTO (2018): AMO Le Cercle ASBL Bibliothèque PAPYRUS Centre Culturel de Havelange ASBL CPAS de Havelange Foyer des jeunes de Havelange ASBL Foyer l’Aubépine ASBL Gal Condroz Famenne ASBL Institut de Schaltin ASBL Maison Médicale MEDICI ASBL Vis-à-vis ASBL Four times a year, the member organizations meet in order to increase the mutual resources, share, develop new common projects and galvanize the social work in general. The gatherings often lead to workgroups and then to concrete local actions involving the member organizations. Thanks to this collaboration, at the moment, the association is developing an important project in partnership with another local organization called “AMO le Cercle” thanks to the “Amarrages” projects (European Social Fund). The project is dedicated to get round the challenge of dropping out of school among teenagers. Another example of project established through these partnerships is a "social grocery for vegetables and fruit" that will be organized on Fridays by Gal Condroz Famenne ASBL and CPAS.