Education before work

For 36 years, ednica has maintained a strong commitment to promoting and defending the human rights of children and young people living on the streets. ednica's great work is to offer tools for comprehensive development so that children and adolescents, together with their families, can build alternatives for a dignified life outside the public space.
Ednica's care model consists of four phases that accompany the comprehensive development process of children and adolescents. The first is bonding and trust, where contact is established with children and their families. The second is skills development, which, as its name suggests, is the development of comprehensive life skills.
The third phase is preparation for independent living, which consolidates the lessons learned in phase II and prepares adolescents to leave the programme and build a dignified life. Finally, the fourth phase, follow-up, provides continuity to the progress made after leaving the programme.
This year, a very important step has been taken with the implementation of Phase III of the Care Model, aimed at working adolescents living on the streets, which seeks to strengthen the personal, social and work skills of adolescents who have been part of ednica.
Each adolescent participates in individual sessions where short-, medium- and long-term goals are defined, and the aim is to promote continuity in schooling. Vocational guidance is also provided, and links are established with educational and employment institutions that expand their opportunities for development.
Constant monitoring ensures that life plans are viable and that support contributes to reducing their stay in public spaces. This phase represents a key step in ednica's mission: to offer comprehensive support that promotes the full exercise of rights and a dignified future for street children and youth.