Life skills in adolescents to face violence

During this contingency of COVID-19 we have implemented several campaigns to protect children, adolescents and families who are on the street.

#YoTeCuido is a challenge that started on May 6 in order to obtain resources to provide pantries and hygiene items.

Thanks to donors and friends we have been able to bring pantries to the people who need our support the most.

Fundación Pro Niños continues to work with families and adolescents carrying out different recreational and emotional support activities.

The street work team has made visits to people who are on the street to explain the preventive measures of COVID-19, as well as to provide food, face masks and antibacterial gel.

We thank the people who have joined the different initiatives of the Pro Niños Foundation in order to protect and care for the most vulnerable people.

The result is very favorable, we thank the educators for their work in delivering pantries, face masks and antibacterial gel to children and families on the street.

Together we are a great team!

Links:

• http://www.proninosdelacalle.org.mx/iniciativas/23/reto_#yotecuido_

Prevention

During the 25 years of work, we have seen how street life has been transformed for children and adolescents, which has led us to strengthen intervention strategies.

Therefore, we decided to take actions by carrying out prevention work together with parents, caregivers, teachers and other members of the community.

 In Pro Niños we work prevention from two axes:

• Comprehensive care for families with children at risk of living on the street, through the Family Assistance Program.

• Early detection of adolescents at risk of living on the street, through workshops for the development of life skills taught in public secondary schools, which, as an immediate impact, will prevent school dropout.

Through this program, we serve children and adolescents between the ages of 8 and 17 who are at risk of living on the street.

Results

Prevention

Family Assistance Program

We work in 4 municipalities of the CDMX and 4 Municipalities of Edo. Mex

143 people were treated

We had 207 assists to the school support group

104 cultural, sports and recreational activities were carried out

Preventive workshops in secondary schools

63 students participated in the "Life Skills Workshops"

23 sessions were held in secondary schools No. 16 Pedro Díaz and No. 270 Celestino Gorostiza.

During the 26 years of work, we have seen how street life has transformed for children and adolescents, which has led us to strengthen intervention strategies.

 That is why we decided to take action measures in prevention work together with fathers, mothers, caregivers, teachers and other members of the community. In Pro Niños we work prevention from two axes:

 • Comprehensive care for families with children at risk of living on the street, through the Family Assistance Program. • The early detection of adolescents at risk of living on the streets, through workshops for the development of life skills taught in public high schools, as an immediate impact, will prevent dropping out of school.

 The objectives of this program are:

 • Encourage all family members to reflect, recognize and manage their emotions.

 • Develop positive parental skills in parents and other caregivers through parent workshops

 • Develop skills in girls, boys and adolescents that help them take care of inside and outside their family environment. Let's achieve better prevention mechanisms together to ensure that more young people have the necessary tools to have a decent life, executing their rights.

The prevention of violence is a fundamental part of our work with adolescents and young people and the concentration in secondary schools, with the objective that the kids build healthier relationships. Through workshops, we seek that the kids reflect on the violent and non-violent and logical behaviors.

We work in secondary schools near Pro Niños and we serve an average of 170 students in different sessions. The work stage of the street is responsible for developing these workshops and it is sought to expand these activities in other areas of the CDMX.

We also began the year with the opening of workshops for parents and caregivers, with the aim of developing parenting skills, which allow them to stimulate and potentiate communication mechanisms with all family members, as well as to generate safe environments for coexistence.

The prompt and adequate attention to the problem of addictions is a priority for the educators of Pro Niños. This year they will take a diploma to learn various mechanisms of prevention in the use, abuse and dependence of substances. Another of the programmed courses is the prevention and attention of family violence, a delicate situation that educators of all programs face.

Veronica is the mother of three children: Eduardo, 14 y/o, Luis, 13, and Hugo, 11. Like many mothers, she has to divide her time between work, home, and family. Vero, as her friends from the clothes stand where she works call her, shares one of the most difficult tests she has had to face: separating herself from her children and seeing them in a street situation with their father. These were difficult times for the Gutierrez family, but against all adversity they managed to get ahead.

Vero tells us how one of the educators approached her children to invite them to Pro Niños. Here, the Gutierrez family received counseling from the Family Assistance Program (PAF), and little by little their family relationship improved. “Well, I have indeed noticed a change. Before, my family was in disarray, and today I perceive it differently. My children have been taught habits they did not have; sometimes, as a parent, one lets things pass. Now, I am realizing there is a very big change in them and in me. Entering the Parenting Skills workshop, taught me how to better relate to them. I learned how I ought to approach them, especially Eduardo, the eldest, who is already an adolescent. Today I feel better and closer to my children. "

Today, each member of the family is clearer about their goals. Luis wants to be a marine biologist when he grows up, and at night he dreams of becoming a shark. For Hugo, the goal of being a footballer in his favorite team persists, so he continues to play in the evenings with his school friends. Finally, Vero is determined to recover the house she lost, in order to give a better life to her children.

Links:

• children