DURATION: 1000 min
NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS: 2
AGE: 10 To 18 years old
LEVEL OF TRUST: High
LEVEL OF PARTICIPATION: High
LEVEL OF LEVEL_OF_PREPARATION: No
MATERIAL: No
TOPIC: personal development
INSTRUCTIONS: Target group: young people suffering with various problems (financial, social, work-related, etc).
Buddy: a committed volunteer who assists a chosen young person, for example by entering into a weekly coaching conversation with him_her.
1. The street worker is the first point of contact for both the participants (the primary target group) and their buddies.
2. Every participant is assigned a buddy – a young volunteer who acts as a contact person and confidant. These contacts are also available on weekends.
3. The method and duration of working with a young person are adapted to this person's strengths and needs, and the availability of the buddy. Some form of regular meetings between the participants and their buddies is necessary.
4. When necessary, we also include professionals in the process (local partners, youth care, youth workers, …).
COMMENTS, TIPS & TRICKS: A Good Buddy can support young people and enable them to grow up in a safe and healthy way. Its main purpose is to empower young people and give them more support by offering high quality care that is nearby, and available quickly.
It is important that buddies receive good training and support from the street worker.
The training is all about developing the necessary skills and characteristics of a buddy:
being able to act not as a youth care worker but more as a concerned relative, encouraging strengths and challenging weaknesses, being patient, reliable, non-judgmental, enthusiastic and positive, aware of the problems faced by young people, and flexible enough to be able to coach in the evenings and/or on weekends if necessary.
