On the 13th and the 14th of January, HAO organised two meetings at the headquarters of the Services Center for Supported Employment from Constanța between young adults with disabilities enrolled in the LEAD project, facilitated by our colleague, Olivia Grigore. During these events, our beneficiaries who changed their lives after joining the LEAD project have shared their stories with other young adults with disabilities, looking for a job, and with some of the participants’ parents.
The protagonists of the first meeting were Valentin and George, full-time employees at Pizzeria San Marco. The next day, their colleague, Diana, full-time employee, and Marinela, part-time employee at Hervis have entered into dialogue with the participants.
The four young adults shared details regarding: the job interviews and the work trials, the requirements of the employers, the work schedules, the tasks that they need to perform, their colleagues and teamwork. They talked with emotion about the changes they experience in their lives, and they answered the participants’ questions.
For example, Valentin, who has been employed for a year (on the date of the event), contributes to his monthly housing expenses.Also, the young man managed to completely renovate his room with the money he earned. George, member of the San Marco Pizzeria team for two years (on the date of the event), has a savings account and covers his family’s food expenses. Moreover, the young adults proudly said that they like what they do, they accomplish their tasks very well, and they are appreciated by colleagues and supervisors.
An important idea highlighted during the two meetings is that a young adult with disabilities can work in another activity field than the one in which they are specialized. For example, Valentin is a masseur, but he works successfully in a pizzeria, using his excellent manual skills.
These experience exchanges have a strong educational and motivational character and they were very well received by both the young participants and their parents. Later, Olivia has noticed a greater willingness of parents to involve their children in household activities in order to improve their work speed, attention to details and perseverance. Also, she has observed that the specialists’ suggestions have been more well received by the young adults.
The project “Labour market Employment for young Adults with a Disability – LEAD” is funded by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA and Norway Grants Fund for Youth Employment.
