Colorful House

The BRC Protected Home “The Colorful House” was created within the project “Social program providing services and support to children and young people leaving social institutions”, realized with the support of the Velux Foundation and The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent.

The activities of the Protected Home are aimed to provide shelter and support to young people between the age of 18 and 29, physically and mentally healthy, who were raised in specialized institutions for children. The aim of the social service is the reintegration of young people in the society by raising their educational and professional qualification and teaching them the main skills for independent living in a family-like environment. The capacity of the Protected Home is 12 people and the residence period is between 3 months and 1 year, depending on the individual needs of the young people.

Within this social service the young care leavers are provided with social and psychological consultations regarding:

• Decision making in regards to the existing opportunities for continuing their education and for receiving vocational training - including evening and individual forms of studies in order to finish secondary education or prepare for University admission;

• Career orientation and motivation for making the right professional choice including training on: job seeking, behaving during an interview with an employer, adoption of working habits and consistency in performing job tasks.

• Everyday domestic and social skills – time management training, budgeting, goal setting, communicational skills, mastering effective behavioral models.

• Increasing self-confidence, competitiveness and adequate self-assessment.

We motivate young people to work, know their civil rights and responsibilities, pay taxes, find permanent job and home and start an independent living.

The Colorful House was opened in 2012. Since then 57 young people received shelter and support in the process of reintegration. For a three-year period young people achieved the following:

• 54% continued their education;

• 18% were admitted to universities;

• 23% completed educational and/or vocational training;

• 43% found job and 37% continued working sustainably after leaving the Protected Home;

• 46% live independently.

The system of support measures developed by the team of the protected home, helps young people build confidence in their own potential, competiveness, proactivity, orderliness and consistency in actions.

Our good practices include:

• We use positive methods of work. We teach the young people by supporting their positive actions.

• We encourage proactivity, creativity, and independent decision making

• We work with every young person through an individual plan consistent with his abilities and needs.

Volunteers of the Bulgarian Red Cross Youth help young people from the Colorful House in their preparation for school studies, exams and university admission.

Young people from the protected home socialize successfully by taking part in activities and trainings of the BRCY.

Our partners are: UNIFY /Formerly Siemens Enterprise Communications/, Technopolis, BULPROS IT Recruitment Consultant, Unlimited kids care, Joker media, Interior studio Leo design, Castello precast, JAR Computers, Pirin Tex Training, Unic partners foundation, B. Brown Medical Б, Dental clinic EO Dent, Optics Optimax, Educational centre Express and others.

In order to sustain the effectiveness of our service we are looking for new sponsors for the cause of the Protected Home.