Youth Projects

My Value (on which the project is based):

October is the month that is dedicated to the importance of raising awareness about
breast cancer, the importance of prevention, early detection and effective treatment
after illness. We decided to join a project called EUROPADONNA. The project combines creativity with care for ourselves and our health. With knitting we developed a fine motor skils of hands, thinking, manual skills, perseverance, understanding and observance of instructions. The project promotes intergenerational and cross-sectoral cooperation, since it includs municipalities, craft clubs, retirement homes, folk high schools, various societies and non-governmental organizations as well as decision makers in local communities, cancer patients and their relatives and individuals from more than sixty municipalities across Slovenia.

The goal of the project:

The aim of the project was to connect young people and the elderly to transfer
knowledge to each other. It was a matter of an intergenerational link. They were kniting
pink knitwear and sewing it together in big blankets. The final step was to wrap the
trees in the pink knitwear in the local park, so everybody can see them. It will be there
for a month. Older ladies are replacing grandmothers for many young people, which is
very important from the social point of view for both age groups. The goal of the project was also to raise awareness in the local community, that cancer is present and that patients need compassion and people to talk to. It is important for young people to cope with this and encourage them to feel empathy and self-awareness of it. The project was a concrete environmental impact (intervention). Every tree also has the basic information about the disease and what can we do to prevent it. The information is also translated in English.

Method(s) used:

We were working together in the whole group, where we discussed the theme. We were
working with the elderly ladies that thought the youngsters how to knit. On the day, that we wrapped the trees, the youngsters and elderly ladies went and did it together.

The process of conducting the project:
My thoughts, emotions, conclusions

The best thing in the project was intergenerational link between elderly ladies and youngsters. The workshops were very good, they talked a lot, solved some personal problems… Both of the groups made a very good connection. Learning process was intensive, but a lot of knowledge vas transferred. Also the impact on the environment showed the youngsters that it is the method how to express themselves and their
opinion.