In 2006 Children and Youth Association started the project Youth Day Centre "16+" – alternatives of street life. The goal of the project was to provide support to the young people in order to create positive attitude and behaviour for developing social integration strategies, setting individual programmes and services. The main target group covers children and young people living on the streets aged between 16 to 25 or those in risk of becoming homeless. 

Viewing homelessness as a temporary crisis instead of a permanent event the project included the following activities: street work; social and psychological work; distant work with young people in penitentiary institutions; work with young parents; legal advice and consultations; social skills training; workshops for acquiring professional skills; work with the children of the young people living on the street aged between 0 and 5 years of age; raising public awareness on the issue of homelessness, etc.

For the project duration the center has worked with more than 200 young people living on the streets or in risk of becoming homeless as well as with 39 children and 9 families of children and young people at risk. Due to the implementation of the project activities some of the young people living on the streets chose to spend their time at the centre and joined the offered programmes. 16+ became more attractive for the young people and children, most of which come from the minority ethnic groups. This increased the number of people visiting the centre and using its programmes and services. As a result, the time spent in risk environment was reduced which in its turn brought down the level of antisocial behaviour. The Centre offered a safe environment in which they could receive training and acquire new skills. 

Children and Youth Association
1505 Sofia
2 Boyan Magesnik str.
Tеl./fax: 02 / 946 11 56
children_youth@gmail.com
http://www.acybg.org