The Foundation for Partnership and Civil Society Development
Final conference of the project "Development and support for the development of sustainable employment models for vulnerable groups in the Urban area of Pula"
On the 26th of May, at the Hotel Park Plaza Histria, the final conference of the project "Development and support for the development of sustainable employment models for vulnerable groups in the Urban area of Pula" was held. This project was financed by the European Social Fund through the Operational Programme Efficient Human Resources, as part of the Integrated Territorial Investments (ITU mechanism) for the Urban Area of Pula.
In his introductory speech, the Mayor of Marčana Municipality, Mr. Predrag Pliško, welcomed all attendees and thanked all project partners, expressing great satisfaction that Marčana Municipality was the lead in this commendable and important project. "Employment of vulnerable groups is still stigmatized, unknown, and rare in our society, and with this project, we have contributed to creating conditions to increase the employment of people who belong to vulnerable groups for any reason," said Mayor Pliško.
This is one of three projects funded by the ITU mechanism for the Urban Area of Pula, and the Mayor of Pula, Filip Zoričić, expressed his satisfaction and the importance of this and similar projects, noting that the City of Pula will always support these topics and stakeholders working on such important issues for the city.
County Prefect Boris Miletić reminded that the ITU Mechanism was launched at the European level as a financing mechanism for local governments and urban areas. However, in Croatia, it was initially intended that only four cities could apply: Zagreb, Osijek, Rijeka, and Split. Therefore, it was first necessary to fight for other urban centers to be able to utilize the benefits of EU funds, especially the ESF+, which co-finances projects at a 100% rate. "I believe that every individual in our community should have equal opportunities, but as a society, we must also be aware of the needs that exist in our society. I always like to emphasize that we must take care of our youngest members who simply cannot fend for themselves, as well as for our elderly citizens who have contributed during their lifetime and we should repay them in some way. The third category are people with special needs, and the community should have an open heart and think about how to provide them with a chance. Experience shows that when given a chance, the results exceed expectations. This is why the County of Istria, the City of Pula, and the Alliance of Independent Trade Unions of Croatia established the Protective Workshop Tekop Nova, an institution for employing people with disabilities, to help vulnerable groups. This project is certainly commendable as it provides what is important, and that is to give a chance so that each individual can show their abilities, but it is crucial to have that opportunity. I congratulate everyone who participated, and I believe that there will be room for more such projects in the future," said Prefect Miletić.
Lastly, via video link, Mrs. Marica Milić, President of the Community of Associations of Persons with Disabilities of Croatia, addressed the conference, supporting the project and wishing good work and constructive conclusions for the conference.
This project gathered five associations, one municipality, and one foundation. Together, they carried out activities that can help vulnerable individuals to get employed.The project was presented through the experiences shared by representatives of partner organizations: Ivica Tolić and Alma Zulim from the Association of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing of Istria County, Ozren Catela from the Association of People with Intellectual Disabilities, Snježana Raić from the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Istria County, and Jakov Benazić from Marčana Municipality.
The implementation of this project delved into the issue of employment of vulnerable groups, highlighting the importance of addressing this topic. The conference brought together various stakeholders: representatives of professional institutions, the civil sector, employers, and members of vulnerable groups who shared various information, thoughts, professional knowledge, and recommendations on the employment of vulnerable groups.
Renowned experts and representatives of various institutions participated in the conference. Nataša Mehanović from the School for Education and Training Pula gave a presentation on "Secondary Education as a Prerequisite for Successful Inclusion in the Labor Market," and Marko Perkov from the Association of People with Intellectual Disabilities presented the developed program "Preparing Employers for the Employment of People with Disabilities." During the panel "Inclusion of Vulnerable Groups in the Labor Market," numerous good practice examples were presented: Đeni Gobić Bravar and Vjekoslava Sošić Žuža from the Archaeological Museum of Istria, Nataša Milohanović from the Center for Social Entrepreneurship, Zuzana Hoti Radolović and Silvija Mulaček from the Association for People with Physical Disabilities of Southern Istria, Danijela Kasumović-Maružin, founder of the Social Enterprise Punkt, Davorka Rakić, Deputy Director for Nursing, and Jelena Vuković from the Istrian Health Homes, and Jakov Cipurić who shared his employment experience at the Istria Foundation as a young employed person without work experience.
As part of the project, a Handbook for Work Assistants was created and presented by Danijela Kasumović-Maružin. Đurđica Hribar from the Center for Professional Rehabilitation Rijeka gave a brief presentation "The Role of the Center for Professional Rehabilitation in the Employment of Persons with Disabilities," while Natalija Krajnović and Mira Pekeč-Knežević from the General Avocate's Office for Persons with Disabilities gave a presentation on "The Gap Between the Convention and Practice, According to the Experience of the Ombudsman for Persons with Disabilities."
At the end of the conference, a round table discussion on "Development and Support for the Development of Sustainable Employment Models for Vulnerable Groups" took place. Participants included: Natalija Krajnović and Mira Pekeč-Knežević (Office of the Ombudsman for Persons with Disabilities), Đurđica Hribar (Center for Professional Rehabilitation Rijeka), Višnja Popović (School for Education and Training Pula), Danijela Kasumović-Maružin (School for Education and Training Pula), Elena Božac Čujić (Istria County), Ozren Catela (Association of People with Intellectual Disabilities), Marko Perkov (Association of People with Intellectual Disabilities), Nataša Milohanović (Center for Social Entrepreneurship), Alma Zulim (Association of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing of Istria County), Snježana Raić (Multiple Sclerosis Society of Istria County). The discussion focused on potential future needs of vulnerable groups and projects and activities that should certainly continue after the completion of this project, all aimed at better and more effective employment of vulnerable groups.
SATURDAY EVENT As a final event, all partners will organize an interesting event in the center of Pula, near the Market, on Saturday, May 27, 2023. It will be an opportunity for all partners to present themselves once again, and passers-by will have the chance to learn more about the associations and their activities. The obstacles and problems faced by vulnerable groups, or people with certain types of disabilities, will be presented to the public in an interesting and interactive way. The program will be accompanied by music, and a mime artist will be responsible for animating and entertaining the audience. We invite all citizens to join this interesting event and show their awareness of the importance of employing people from vulnerable groups. Everyone is welcome!
"The project, with a total value of 2,201,232.00 HRK, is fully funded by the European Social Fund through the Operational Programme Efficient Human Resources, as part of the Integrated Territorial Investments (ITU mechanism) for the Urban Area of Pula."