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Healthy and Creative Free Time Activities

The Proxima Sociale civic association launched this project to provide cultural, sport and science-oriented activities to children and youth living in large housing estates in several Prague municipal districts or suburbs.

The project target group are youth from 13 to 19 living in five Prague urban quarters, who spend most of their free time passively on the streets without any adult guidance. They do not want or cannot join in officially organised free time activity venues or collectives. Yet, they still wish to be engaged in some sport or cultural activity.

The project consists of three parts:

1. Art – “City Trough Our Eyes” – sociological-photographic workshop
The theme of the workshop is so called “problem photography”: participants can take pictures of their favourite places from a different point of view than they are usually seen by everyday passers by and of the places which are hidden for other citizens and which they would like to change, improve or share with other people. This workshop allows participants to present and share their own distinct universe with others.

2. Sport – “Street Football”
This part consists of a series of street football tournaments between small teams of young people (4+1 or 3+1 players), organised by Proxima Sociale since 2005. The principal idea behind this event is to provide an accessible and attractive sport activity to young people. The basic aim of this activity is to eliminate chances of the young people to get involved with undesirable social phenomena and to show them how to spend their free time in an active and not dangerous way.

3. Science – “Cyberspace – Techniques of Social Networking”
The science part of the project focuses on the use of the modern information and communication technologies and social networking. During a number of educative blocks, all participants learn basic information about internet safety and expressions such as cyber-bullying, grooming, SPAM, malware etc. Social workers also teach young people how to set up safe internet profiles on social networks, explain them how to manage secure online communication, what to share or not to share on internet and how to protect oneself against cyber-bullying.

The main objective of this project is to teach young people new behaviour patterns, how to spend their free time safely in order to eliminate their chances to get involved with risk factors of the street life. What is equally as important is the inclusion of sport, art and science into their everyday life of growing up and maturing as a suitable alternative to passively spending time on the street and getting involved in illegal activities.

 

The project started in 2005 and is now finished.
Last review: January 2020

 

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