Supporter / Facilitator / Youth worker
CEO of MARGARITA-Vocational Training Centre for People with Intellectual Disabilities(14-25 years old).
Description of your role
Head of Research, Development and Innovation
Previous experience in enterprise development
Dimitirs Tourlidas/Project manager & researcher
Entrepreneur
Special needs Center / lab “Margarita”
Field of Business
Services offered:
-Special vocational training
-Education
-Training in the supported living conditions
-Accompanying programs
-Family support
-On-the-job training and support
Support Needs
People with Intellectual Disability : Skills training, Empowerment for the development of self-confidence, chances for inclusion, creation of an environment that suits individual needs, creation of entrepreneurial mindset, training on financial skills, inspiration, on-the-job support.
Employers: managing stereotypes, information about specific intellectual disabilities, networking, knowledge about special benefits of the enterprises which hire people with intellectual disability.
Supporters/youth workers: managing stereotypes and negative affect, information about specific intellectual disabilities, networking, handling of frustration, inspiration continuous motivation boost.
Case Study:
Platform : ergasiamou.gr
It helps people with intellectual disabilities to find the job that suits them.
It also helps employers to find employees with talents, interests, skills and a strong motivation towards work
Margarita’s dream is to create a world with a lot of opportunities for everybody, since work is a right belonging to all(Treaty for the Rights of People with Disabilities)
The special needs lab “Margarita” has developed into an organization which treats people with intellectual disability as equal human beings, with rights, potentialities, motivation and a need to work and be autonomous.
The core issue regarding disability and employment lies in the notion that better accessibility leads to increased business activity. Also, that people with intellectual disabilities can act, live and flourish autonomously within the right environment and with the right training and tools
The platform has been working for 8 months
Lack of visibility, of accessibility, negative stereotypes and ignorance about intellectual disability, low self confidence of people , or inability to decipher their talents and go after a job that suits them, lack of a “matching” ground
Increase visibility, specific skills training, feeling of support, changing mindsets, empowering people to believe that they too can do it, can find a job, can earn money, can handle their finances and can lead a normal life. Also of great support to the supporters
-STARTUP program should be applied widely in the field
-This is another attempt to create institutional changes towards greater accessibility to job environments and towards matching people who want to work and who offer work to collaborate
-More visibility should take place of this and relevant programs
-Margarita has experience with Erasmus + programs and there is a willingness to participate.
-The idea that workers and supporters of people with intellectual disabilities need special support has come to the fore
-Capacity building, business incubation and production can occur with people with and without intellectual or other disabilities alike.
What are your plans for the future ?
The platform ergasiamou.gr is expected to widely apply to nationwide institutions and national plans and to become a necessary tool to bring People with Intellectual Disabilities and Employers together so as to both work and flourish.
-Development of training and consulting programs for youth workers and supporters
-Networking and collaborating with other platforms( i.e. training platform of the Academy of Entrepreneurship) /
#WOD20#ConnectingForGood
– Development of 13m2 Gallery «Margarita»- a gallery and lab by the collaborators and the students of the special needs lab, where they can produce and sell their products, being and becoming “artists as entrepreneurs”-location: ImpactHub Athens- Kipseli Municipal Market
Country
Greece.
