autonomy program for unaccompanied immigrant minors - fundació resilis (english version)

8/7/2019 Autonomy Program for Unaccompanied Immigrant Minors - Fundació Resilis (english version)

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FUNDACI RESILIS: C/ Garrotxa, 7 - 17006 Girona, SpainTel. +34 972 24 50 90 – Fax +34 972 24 51 91

[email protected] – www.resilis.org

AUTONOMY PROGRAM FOR

UNACCOMPANIED IMMIGRANT

MINORS

SANDRA CARRERAS MASCORT





Table of Contents

1. INTRODUCTION

2. PLATAFORMA EDUCATIVA FOUNDATION

3. RESILIS FOUNDATION3.1 THE ORGANIZATION3.2 SERVICES AND PROJECTS

4. RECEPTION CENTER “MAS GARRIGA”4.1 DEFINITION4.2 USERS

4.2.1 Unaccompanied Immigrant Minors

5. INDEPENDENT LIVING PROMOTION UNIT5.1 NEED5.2 DEFINITION5.3 USERS5.4 RESOURCES

5.5 MANAGEMENT5.6 GENERAL OBJECTIVE5.7 SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

5.7.1 Social and emotional5.7.2 Education5.7.3 Employment5.7.4 Attitude5.7.5 Culture5.7.6 Daily routine

6. CONCLUSIONS

6.1 RESULTS6.1.1 Difficulties6.1.2 Challenges





1.INTRODUCTION

This document begins with an explanation of Plataforma Educativa, a group of social services organizationswhich develop programs and services addressed to people in at risk or in situations of social exclusion.

We proceed to introduce Resilis Foundation, the organization in Plataforma Educativa which focuses onresidential home care. Specifically, we will discuss the operation of the “Mas Garriga” Reception Center andthe Autonomy Program for Unaccompanied Immigrant Minors. Our experience delivering these services allowsus to speak about a migratory phenomenon of these minors (henceforth referred to as “MENA”, theabbreviation in Catalan) once they enter our system of minor protection in Catalonia.

In the body of the paper we discuss the societal context, objectives, users, resources, and management of

these services. At the end we reflect on the difficulties and challenges that we find in our daily work.

We have chosen to write about our work with MENAs because this Congress explores the theme “Celebratingthe Courage to Care in a Diverse World”. We believe that we can learn a lot through the exchange of experiences and practices among service providers from all continents. In this and other ways we strive tocontinuously improve our services for children and adolescents in alternative care.

In this paper we also make reference to the following sub-themes of the Congress:

- Best practice in short-term residential care- Innovations in community-based care for children and families- Diversity as a global phenomenon- The imperative of care in social care provision





2. PLATAFORMA EDUCATIVA FOUNDATION1

Plataforma Educativa is a nonprofit organization dedicated to educational work since 1994. Our patrimony isaffected to activities of public interest in the field of social action with respect to persons in situations or at riskof social exclusion and like-minded organizations with whom to develop joint projects.

Our origin lies with Plataforma Educativa 3 Esses Association, which was created in 1994. In 2002 theassociation became a foundation governed by a 12-member board of directors. It is registered in theFoundations Register of the Generalitat (Government) of Catalonia, number 1790.

We develop projects and services addressed mainly to socially disadvantaged groups of people in need of integration in the labor market, persons with disabilities, immigrants, children and youth at risk or in situationsof social exclusion.

Plataforma Educativa is a project that brings together different organizations with a strong sense of team andindividual values, to use the maximum the advantages of innovating and working together.

Currently ten organizations are included in the Plataforma Educativa group: Plataforma Educativa Foundation,Resilis Foundation, Astres Foundation, Infància i Família Foundation, Gentis Foundation, Utopia Foundation,Eina Activa, Association Acciona’t Association, Acció Social Terres de l’Ebre Association, and SetbaFoundation.

Mission

Designing, creating and developing programs and services, which improve the quality of life of the person andof collectives in situation of social exclusion and/or in risk to suffer from it. Vision

We want to be a concerning Platform of Entities that in form socially responsible and innovative, generatesprofessional teams with the goal to develop next and specialized services, directed at the improvement of thequality of life of the persons.

Institutional values

JUSTICE. We believe in the possibility of living in a just world, working responsibly, and promoting quality of life and social equality.

• Human rights perspective

COMPLEMENTARITY. We work toward integrating local resources and developing services which meet localneeds. We promote alliances with interest groups from an integrated solution perspective.

• Horizontal and vertical networking

1 2009 Plataforma Educativa annual report.





RESPONSIBILITY. We are an ethical organization, with high professional standards, respectful towardpersons and the environment.

•

Quality standards (ISO)

INNOVATION. We work with initiative, open-mindedness, creativity and energy, seeking deeper insight intosocial issues and needs.

• 16 years developing innovative child & youth care services

TRANSPARENCY. We look for interventions based on trust in the person, acting responsibly and withcomplete transparency toward society.

• External audits and supervision

To carry out our mission, and from our values, we strive for the optimization of resources, competent

management, and participatory mechanisms.

For this reason Plataforma Educativa assumes the following commitments:

- Centering our actions around the person and the community, in particular the most vulnerable groups, andwatching over human rights.

- Working to obtain the maximum satisfaction of our clients, giving them answers to their needs andrequirements to develop our projects.

- Making human capital our instrument for action, guaranteeing and promoting equality. Working toward the

best working conditions based on stability, fair salaries, work-family balance, safety and health at work.Promoting the development of professional careers trough education and promotion.

- Managing with high quality standards and respect of the environment, following an ethical code,guaranteeing the achievement of objectives through good teamwork.

- Working proactively to reduce any negative environmental impact and promoting the best and most efficientuse of resources, minimizing consumption (energy or otherwise).

- Using and promoting good practices and managing for sustainability, diversifying financial support and other resources; managing resources with rigor, optimizing them and finding complementary ways to achieve top

performance with minimum impact on the environment.

- Turning suppliers into strategic partners and allies which complement our local action.

- Turning financial resources into a tool for optimizing and multiplying our action.

- Turning fundraising into a tool for generating resources which facilitate the achievement of our objectives.

- Creating communication and information systems which facilitate participation in and transmission andsocialization of our action, creating and participating in networks and organizations to this end.

- Working from innovation and the complementarity as fundamental axes of our work, facilitating value-addedand participatory projects.





3. RESILIS FOUNDATION

3.13.13.13.1---- THETHETHETHE ORGANIZATIONORGANIZATIONORGANIZATIONORGANIZATION

Resilis Foundation was set up as a non profit-making entity on November 8, 2006 under the guidance of Plataforma Educativa Foundation. Our main objective is the management and development of projects,programmers and care services for children and young people in situations of exclusion, risk or seriousdifficulty.

It takes its name from the concept of resilience, a term coming from physics and adapted to the socialsciences that refers to the capacity of individuals to develop to their full potential despite the presence of

destabilizing events and difficult circumstances. With this definition in mind, our foundation wishes to stimulatethe capacity for resilience in the people that we serve, without forgetting every individual’s role in their storyand in their route towards a full and independent life.

From the beginning Resilis has taken over the direct management of projects, centers and services in thissphere from Plataforma Educativa Foundation. Through this connection comes more than 10 years of first-hand experience in the sector, which provides a wealth of important knowledge despite the Foundation’syouth.

3.23.23.23.2---- SERVICES AND PROJECTS SERVICES AND PROJECTS SERVICES AND PROJECTS SERVICES AND PROJECTS

Our mission is to design, manage, introduce and develop projects, programs and services, addressed atchildren and young people at social risk.

We carry out this work in collaboration with the different local administrations, counties and regions that haveput their trust in us through different ventures, agreements and management contracts.

The promotion of equal opportunities, wellbeing and quality of life, as well as helping the people we serve tolive independent lives, has become the backbone of all our actions. We develop it serving them in a personalway, always vigilant about the rights of children and the promotion of people in society.

The organization also has made it a goal to promote the rights of children through organizing activities thatsociety participates in, to help show the unknown realities of life for children and youths who are at risk,isolated or with serious difficulties.

SERVICES AND PROJECTS

CRAE – Education Action Residential CentersIt’s a service born from the need to help children and underage young people who are in the care of theDGAIA (Director General for the Care of Children) and who have to be separated from their family temporarily.They are services for child and young people residential care and education centers with a temporary

institution acceptance.





CREI – Intensive Education Residential Center

CREI is a residential resource that responds to the same objectives and aims as CRAE but that is addressedat young people aged between 12 and 18, who require more intensive educational attention.

CA – Reception Center This is a residential facility that is intended for the urgent accommodation of children and adolescents insituations of risk. Beyond offering this immediate attention it has to carry out the observation and diagnosis of the personal and family situation that has resulted in the admission and suggest attention measures for theyoungsters being cared for.

UFA – Independent Living Promotion UnitUFA is a service part of the Mas Garriga Reception Center.

SPAE – Independent Living Promotion ServiceThe service promoting independent living amalgamates all of the programs and projects managed by our organization that are intended for young people at risk who are involved in the process of becomingindependent.

CO – Drop-in Center The drop-in centers are a daily service, a social or municipal initiative that has a socio-educative preventativerole. Their task is to provide support, to stimulate and empower the structure and development of bothpersonal and social skills, to help acquire basic learning skills and to boost the social deficiencies of the users.

Diagnostic Team/EVAMI – Team of Child Mistreatment EvaluationThe diagnostic team consists of an interdisciplinary team comprising two social workers, two psychologists andan educator. The diagnostic team performs its activities in the “Ntra. Sra. De la Misericòrdia” ReceptionCenter. The diagnostic team’s objective is to analyze the risk situation of youngsters, study the diagnosis andproduce the proposal for protective measures. This, along with the social educator referring the case and thereception centre physician, comprises the reception center’s specialist team.





4. RECEPTION CENTER “MAS GARRIGA”2

4.1.- DEFINITION

The Centre d’Acollida, in English “Reception Center”, Mas Garriga, managed by Resilis Foundation, is part of the network of Residential Centers of the Directorate General of Child and Adolescent Care (abbreviatedDGAIA in Catalan) in Catalonia.

Since May 6, 2002, it is servicing boys between 12 and 18 years old in the Girona province whom authoritiesidentify as not having an adequate home care environment. In the past eight years, Mas Garriga hasundergone a series of transformations, programmatic adjustments and capacity increases, due to the evolving

needs which have arisen from our educational practice.

Mas Garriga’s main goal is to care for minors who require immediate intervention and are in a situation of riskwhich requires that they be separated from their biological families and/or the social context, replacing thefamily temporarily, with the purpose of carrying out an observation and diagnosis of case and making arecommendation for helping the minor.

The center guarantees and educational and welfare environment for the youngsters being taken care of. It isopen 24 hours a day throughout the whole year.

Currently we service 30 minors between 12 to 18 years old who are wards of the Catalan government since

the moment they arrive, and we try to give an answer to the physical, psychological and social needs theypresent. Our intervention aims to promote the minors’ development of their autonomy in a safe context. Westrive to guarantee their rights. We understand their process of socialization as the acquisition of values, habitsand rules that facilitate their social integration.

Mas Garriga has a Diagnostic Team formed by three professionals, a psychologist, a social worker and apedagogue. They work interdisciplinarily with the main goal of evaluating and to diagnosing possible situationsof maltreatment and risk. The social pedagogue of first reception, the translator (if necessary), the tutor andphysician are part of the extended diagnostic team.

The social pedagogue of first reception is the professional responsible for the first evaluation when a minor enters arrives at the center. We understand this situation of vulnerability according to directive 1/2007 of theDGAIA, which spells out which situations require immediate intervention, instructing social agents (relatives,police, etc.) to place minors in protected custody. Exceptionally, minors voluntarily come to DGAIA requestinghelp.

The social pedagogue, or social educator as we call them, participates in the study that ETCA (DiagnosticTeam of the Reception Center) does, giving information from his daily work with the boy. This information isincorporated into the diagnostic report. She participates in the evaluation of any health damages derived fromthe vulnerability situation experienced by the minor. She also evaluates the presence of high-risk social factorscatalogued in Decree 2/1997, which create a picture of social vulnerability, maltreatment and/or abandonment.

2 2008 Reception Center educational project and 2009 Mas Garrriga annual report.





From this picture and certain administrative rules a recommendation is made in view to secure the minor’swellbeing.

The center has two Arabic and one English translators who facilitate the diagnostic process by assisting withtelephone calls and face-to-face interviews with relatives and other parties.

The physician works onsite half-a-day a week. His first task is to examine the boy in the first week. Once this isdone, he makes any needed referrals to specialists and conducts a follow-up of the child’s medical conditionwhile he is with us. His final medical report is included in the diagnostic report.

The diagnostic team intervenes through diagnostic interviews with the family, the minor and other professionals. Family participation is really important to assess his situation and determine the right course for him.

Our aim is to find the best proposal of a protective measure and at the same time to effect a change in thesocial and family contexts in a positive direction. This happens through the elaboration of improvement plansfor the minor and his family, which the government’s Child and Youth Care Team (abbreviated EAIA inCatalan) will supervise.

4.2.- USERS

Here is some data about our users from Resilis’ 2009 annual report. There is no significant change in theproportion of boys in each age group across different years. What we do find is that most boys are 15 or older,

in a ratio of 2 to 1.

SERVICED MINORS IN 2009 BY AGE:

AgeAgeAgeAge NumberNumberNumberNumber12 613/15 4516/17 52

TTTTotalotalotalotal 103103103103





With respect to nationality, in 2009 Moroccans constituted the largest group, with about 50% of residents;Catalans were the second group at 30%; and boys from other African countries were the third largest group

(Mali, Algeria, Ghana, Gambia). Other nationalities included Honduras, Brazil, Portugal, Ukraine and England.

These data suggest what might be the needs of the majority of boys, that is 70%, who come to Mas Garriga:coping with their migratory process.

SERVICED MINORS IN 2009 BY NATIONALITY

NatiNatiNatiNationalityonalityonalityonality NumberNumberNumberNumberSpain 31Morocco 47Mali 4

Algeria 3France 2Romania 1Ghana 3Ecuador 1Russia 1Brazil 2Gambia 2Bolivia 1Ukraine 1Portugal 1China 1Italy 1England 1TTTTotalotalotalotal 103103103103

Mali (3)

4%Altres (5)

7%

Gàmbia (6)

9%

Espanya (20)

30%

Marroc (33)

50%

Marroc (33)

Espanya (20)

Gàmbia (6)

Mali (3)

Altres (5)





4.2.1 Unaccompanied Immigrant Minors

Among minors, unaccompanied immigrant minors (MENA’s, in Catalan) are different than native minors. Their stay in the center is associated with a migration project. This project normally comes with the awareness,consent and even encouragement by the families they left behind in their country of origin. They come toSpain and, in our case, Girona to find a better future, which necessarily involves finding work. This is thetypical profile of a MENA:

Little or no knowledge of Catalan and/or Spanish Illegal status: minors arrive without any legal documents Low expectations of their own ability to find their way in the new society Cultural crash due to clear differences between their native country and our country Distrust of government institutions and proceedings

Possible contact with at-risk groups or risky behaviors before arriving at the Reception Center Low educational level and/or work skills Poor life skills/habits and, specifically, few if any work habits, and ignorance of the work culture in our

country

Their irregular legal status, lack of language skills and need of external resources (schooling, work) require usto find ways to help them improve their situation. A not so ideal but always viable response is their participationin the occupational workshops and/or school activities in the center.

SCHOOL: School in Mas Garriga work focuses on teaching language skills for work, family, and personalrelationships.

WORKSHOP: Two workshop teachers help MENAs acquire work skills in different sectors, such as gardening,electrical maintenance, and construction. Their objectives are teaching technical skills, technical language,and work habits.

As stated earlier, the maximum number of minors accommodated in the Reception Center is 30. However, in2010 we have increased this number by 10 through the creation of a new service called Independent LivingPromotion Unit (or UFA in the Catalan abbreviation). It is specifically for minors who will soon turn 18 and needa more intensive autonomy program. This project is managed Mas Garriga and it is the subject of the nextsection.





5. INDEPENDENT LIVING PROMOTION UNIT3

5.1.- NEED

Youths who are wards of the Catalan Government (DGAIA)—protected by measures outlined in law 37/91,which is implemented according to Decree 2/1997 of January 7 th regarding “protective measures for minorswho lack protection and/or in adoption procedures”—can enter and be in alternative care programs until theyreach 18.

In theory, by age 18 he should have received from the protection system the necessarily tools to take chargeof his own life or we should have found him a support program to continue to develop his life skills.

But reality presents a different picture. Many boys have to wait in our center a long time beforerecommendations are made and resources are provided. Some of them wait to enter a residential care facility(CRAE), but sometimes this resource is not available and they have to be in the reception center much longer than desired.

The majority of adolescents between 16 and 18 years old do not have the experience or necessary resourcesto start leading an independent life although they are motivated and to some extent prepared. The long timebetween arrival and the issual and granting of a protected measure (adequate alternative care resource for theboy) can undermine their expectations and development of autonomy skills. These extended stays alsosaturate the center, preventing other minors from getting adequate care.

Given this and the fact that a majority of minors are MENAs, we wanted to offer a specialized resource toaddress their situation. Beginning in 2008 we developed the UFA with a view to guarantee optimum socialintegration and life autonomy while they wait to straighten out their legal situation and hopefully be assigned toadditional resources (protective measures).

We believe it is fundamental for these young men to live in a favorable environment, where they can learn awide range of strategies, skills, and abilities to eventually, usually within months, start living independentlyoutside of the unit.

We find that most boys need this intermediate step between a residential setting an attempting to lead anindependent life. Otherwise they often find themselves alone at 18, without any guidance from their families of

origin, without a social network, and still immature to live their own lives.

Our experience thus far shows that this accompaniment, beginning at 16 and till 18, helps and motivates theboys, empowering them to take charge of their own future. On the other hand, it also helps Mas Garriga better serve younger or native boys.

The differences between the Autonomy Program and assisted flats, another alternative care resource whichResilis also manages, are:

- Age: 16 to 18 in the UFA and 18 to 21 in the flats.- The UFA has one educator 24x7 while this is not the case for assisted flats.

3 2010 UFA project.





- Specialized resource to promote autonomy while waiting for a proposal for protective measure. Assisted flats are an exit resource from the protection system.

- The UFA facilitates the establishment of a social network among peers which helps the adolescent inhis way to independent life.

5.2.- DEFINITION

This unit’s primary objective is to facilitate the achievement of autonomy of each young man as soon aspossible.

It is a service provided by the Reception Center, addressed to MENAs are initially motivated and skilled

enough to direct their personal project through additional support in achieving housing, work and socialobjectives. As mentioned earlier, these are 18 to 18 year-olds who are wards of the DGAIA and they arewaiting for a resolution for protective care.

It is a bridge service, between entering Mas Garriga and being directed to other alternative care resources.However, given their advanced age when they arrive to us, the UFA often ends up being the last resource theywill enjoy.

While at the UFA we set autonomy objectives and monitor their progress toward social and labor integrationfrom an independent living setting. This requires constant coaching and educational support to provide themwith the necessary skills which promote their self-efficacy and life competencies.

The will and commitment of participants are basic and fundamental requirements for securing their stay in theunit. Otherwise, if the boy is not focused enough or simply does not care, he is returned to the ReceptionCenter.

To enter the Autonomy Program the beneficiary needs a government permit, issued by DGAIA regionalauthorities in Girona, which specifies that the youth will be in the program until another more adequateresource is found (or he turns 18).

Although the boy is responsible for his autonomy process, the social educator accompanies him all along,checking his progress and giving him support in different areas: emotional-relational, work, social, daily life,

finances, health... and, in general, his social integration.

An important task of our work is to help boys accept their family situation, that is, their lack of family support,as they need to accept this to move on emotionally.

5.3.- USERS

The majority of our users are MENAs who are seeking a residence and work permit, plus a job.





Once they come to our country they tend to knock on the door of alternative care institutions. Someone else intheir countries of origin explained to them that our welfare state provides for protection measures and

resources for unaccompanied immigrant minors. The quickest way to get in the system is to go to the policeand plainly ask for help. However, they may distrust government institutions if they previously had badexperiences, for example through forced repatriation proceedings.

Most MENAs coming to a reception center follow these steps. After some time living on the street, they go tothe police department or are somehow “caught” by authorities. This starts the chain of events which will placethem in government custody as beneficiaries of the minor protection system.

The police brings them to the Reception Center, where their situation is evaluated. Many times, though theyhave relatives in our country, they prefer to go to institutions which help them legalize their migratory situation,because doing so through the resident family is a much more difficult process.

5.4 RESOURCES

The Autonomy Promotion Unit is located in the neighborhood of Sant Daniel in Girona, a privileged locationwith easy access to the city resources. At the same time it is well communicated with the Mas GarrigaReception Center. Sant Daniel is a quiet district, with little traffic, surrounded by green spaces, where Catalanis spoken as the first language.

We facilitate the establishment of relationships between the boys and other peers through encouraging their

participation in all types of activities (sports, leisure, educational, etc.) taking place in the neighborhood or city.This practical knowledge of resources available to them important for developing their autonomy.

We want them to understand the adult world, the new culture and how society operates. They need to learn tocritically analyze their options and choose what is best for their wellbeing. This includes tolerance and respect for cultural differences in lifestyle, of course within a human rights framework.

The Independent Living Promotion Unit has room for then young men, allowing each to have his own personalprivate space in conjunction with common living areas (living room, kitchen, bathroom...).

5.5 MANAGEMENT AND ORGANITZATION

The management of the UFA is carried out jointly by the Director of Mas Garriga and the person directlyresponsible for the unit, with input from the educational team.

The educational team has weekly meetings to review cases and address issues.

In the design of the organization and internal management of the service we agree on the following criteria:

Creativity: The members of the educational team pledge to be creative and supportive in the making of decisions.





Corresponsibility and consensus: We are all jointly responsible for carrying out program tasks. We try to getconsensus in decision-making.

Coordination:1. Educational team: the planning and implementation of individual work programs require continuous

coordination among members of the team.2. Professionals and organizations: we need to ensure good coordination among all professionals

involved in servicing the youth (and sometimes his relatives) as well as with employers and any other organizations to which they are related.

Fluency: Establish and use easy, simple and dynamic management mechanisms and communicationchannels to run an efficient and effective program.

Effectiveness: To ensure the quality and effectiveness of educational intervention, we believe in and facilitatethe professional development of the staff, who receive external supervision and attend seminars, trainingsessions, and otherwise keep up and sharpen their professional skills.

Participation of adolescents: We run periodic assemblies to discuss any issues relevant to their livingexperience in the unit.

5.6 GENERAL OBECTIVE

To facilitate the achievement of autonomy of each young man as soon as possible.

5.7 SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

5.7.1 Social and Emotional

a) To have each youth invested in his autonomy process, willing to acquire the skills he needs and takingcharge of his destiny.

b) To assure the establishment of an affective bond between the youth and the social educator in order tofacilitate the educational process.

c) To helping to the boy work out the grief entailed in leaving behind his family of origin.

d) To promote in each youth self-consciousness, self-esteem, self-confidence, and the ability to expressfeelings and make demands adequately. To help him develop his capacity of loving, of being loved and of establishing affective bonds.

e) To promote a good living environment, with respect and solidarity among the young men who are in the

unit.





f) To guide each adolescent so that he uses his spare time adequately. If necessary, we will help him find outabout additional resources and broaden his relational horizons. It is necessary to promote the development of

relationships with peers who do not live in the unit.

g) To promote a clear and realistic view of his future.

h) To provide information, advice and support regarding his sexuality, avoiding taboos. To help him live hissexuality as a form of affective communication and personal realization, always in the context of reciprocalrespect and consideration for the partner.

i) To empower him to be responsible for his health, emotional and physical. We will accompany him to medicalappointments, taking medication and other prescribed treatments.

5.7.2 Education

a) To favor his participation in formative activities that allow him to gain basic educational or vocationalcompetences and official recognition.

b) To provide support to youths who have decided to continue their studies beyond primary education, so thatthey can both work and study.

c) To foster the boy’s interest in all those leisure activities (sports, cultural...) which favor his development as aperson.

5.7.3 Employment

a) To have the boy find work. To have him value having work and managing his professional life.

b) To communicate to the youth the concept of work as a form of personal realization and a contribution tosociety, besides being a means to financial gain.

c) To know and use public, private and personal channels to find job opportunities and getting one.

d) To acquire the necessary motivation and interest in the marketplace, to know the rights and duties of workers in our society.

5.7.4 Attitude

a) To foster the capacity of self-appraisal, being able to think through life’s situations and be an effective actor and participant in society.

b) To help the boy express who they are, their choices and values, in order to empower them to achieve their own social integration.





c) To guarantee that the adolescent receives at all times feedback on his personal and social situation, so heunderstands it and can respond or adapt to make progress in his autonomy process.

d) To promote his ability to make informed choices on consumption, contrasting and judging what is best for him versus what often peers and the media through advertising offer.

5.7.5 Culture

a) To promote in each youth the knowledge and experience of his own cultural roots as well as our culture.

b) To promote the knowledge and respect of the different cultures of the boys in the unit.

c) To help they boy actively and critically participate in a democratic society.

5.7.6 Daily routine

a) To have the adolescent participate and collaborates in the upkeeping of the unit, keeping in mind thecommitment he signed when he entered the Autonomy Program.

b) To make him responsible for the development and maintenance of good relations among programparticipants.

c) To assure respect for the unit’s rules and regulations.





6. CONCLUSIONS

6.1 RESULTS

Even though we don’t have quantitative results, it would not be true to state that program participation leads tosocietal integration. Some of the MENA serviced do finish the program with work and a favorable start in their adaptation to society. However, many do not achieve with success the goals placed before them.

The closing of the educational intervention with the MENA is usually finished when they reach 18. After passing through the Reception Center or the UFA, they are referred to alternative care services of longer

duration if they are still minors.

As the Autonomy Program is quite new we are still gathering data and want to exhaustively review the casesof MENAs who have gone through the program. In making this appraisal our foremost objective is to improvein all those aspects that have been lacking in our intervention. At present some boys have reached adulthoodwith skills and resources to fend for themselves, but many others feel lost, not knowing in what direction totake their lives.

In order to meet the program’s objectives there are different factors which play an important role. This is thetopic of the next section.

6.1.1 DIFFICULTIES

Age and intervention timeframe

Usually this is the most significant factor in leaning the process towards a positive or negative outcome. Withboys who arrive at 17 we have little time to be able to regularize their migratory status, to find an adequatealternative care resource, to start an educational program, or find a job. These are objectives that require timeand sometimes it is impossible to achieve some or any of them.

So the age at which the minors enter into the DGAIA protection system will be very decisive to determinewhether there is enough time to have their legal paperwork done and be either placed in an educational or work path.

The timeframe of educational intervention is the main difficulty for us. On the one hand, intervention is oftendone too late. On the other hand, administrative procedures for evaluating cases and processing legalpaperwork are typically longer than desired or even established by law.

A MENA who arrives at the Reception Center can stay a year until his migratory status is regularized, and theycannot apply for jobs before.





This lengthy process generates insecurity and frustration in the boys, feelings which can turn into misbehavior or simply disengagement and a search for other alternatives.

Attitude and personal skills

All along, aside from administrative timeframes and whatever age they have, the most important resource for MENAs is their own attitude and behavior. They have to bear many pressures and must be mature enough toface any challenges that come up on their way to becoming an independent adult. The educational andadministrative processes will be slower than they expect and, in some cases, we will not be able to findadequate resources for them. Therefore, they will have to be patient enough and know how to wait.

They have to grow up before many of their native peers and assume fully adult responsibilities when they areonly 17 or 18 years old. They have to quickly learn to live with complete autonomy and be self-sufficient, with

little room for mistakes which other young adults can afford. We are asking these young men to carry a heavyburden. In this situation it is difficult to fit in any frustration and many of them are not quite prepared toimmediately lead an adult life. Given their short stay in the program, which prioritizes the acquisition of autonomy skills, a job, a new language, and legal paperwork, there is little time to emotionally strengthen theboys. This in turn makes it harder for them to handle the normal pressures of beginning an adult life.

In any case, our educational work with the MENA is directed toward facilitating the skills and competencies toface a completely autonomous life.

There are some alternative care services which accompany the minor at the end of their residential experienceand go a little into adulthood. These services, like assisted flats, provide follow-up educational support for

easing the transition into adulthood. But their demand by far exceeds the supply and many boys are not luckyenough to receive such help.

Ideally, by the end of the time a MENA is in the Autonomy Program he should have (1) acquired autonomyhabits (cleaning, cooking, able to manage his own living space and money, etc.), (2) regularized his migratorystatus (i.e. work permit), (3) gotten a place to live, (4) gotten a job, and (5) acquired emotional skills whichallow him to cope with the adventure of life (or at least know who to ask for help). Of course, the ideal pictureis often far from reality. To sum up this section, in many instances there is a correlation between goodattitudinal skills and some measure of success in coping with life after being in the program.

6.1.2 CHALLENGES

The majority of MENA have a ranking of priorities in which the main one is legalizing their residence status andthus being able to get a job, which in turn will allow them to help their families financially. Many times their stayin a residential institution answers these requests, but we have always thought that it would be necessary tobe able to go beyond mere operational objectives to achieve a degree of real autonomy, backed up byprinciples and goals of personal development since many minors arrive being emotionally quite fragile.

As we explained earlier, their age and intervention timeframe often does not allow us to work on other aspectswhich we think necessary to consider:



- The creation of a social network, to feel an active member of society and build their identity in a new

homeland. Many MENA who reach 18, have not had time to know their new environment, theresources, the culture and to integrate into society.

- Need of psychological support, in order to understand, in a suitable way, the difficulties that they willfind and to have an emotional balance.

- Working out of their migratory grief entailed by leaving behind their elders and facing an uncertainfuture. It is very important that they are able to express their grief in a suitable way, because otherwiseunresolved grief will lead to later problems. We have seen how this migratory grief has a central role inthe emotions of the newcomers since their arrival in the new land. The working out of this centralfeeling will depend on many factors (age, character, resilience, and resources such as the help they

get at the Reception Center or the Autonomy Program). Making progress on this matter is basic inorder to guarantee their integration into a multicultural society that is respectful of differences anddemanding with respect to rights and fundamental liberties.

In the future we would like to be able to address properly these three areas, which means extending the Autonomy Program into adulthood, perhaps a couple of years. This will allow us to increase the likelihood thatthese young adults feel they have the necessary tools to face their beginning adult life.

autonomy program for unaccompanied immigrant minors - fundació resilis (english version)

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