HAPPY FARM LEONARDO DA VINCI PROGRAMME PILOT PROJECT Education for the start and work in social firm/enterprise on a farm and in the countryside

Happy Farm partners Day Care and Work Centre Polž Maribor, Slovenia CPI – Institute for Vocational Education of Slovenia Chance B – Gesellschaft für Arbeit und Bildung der Chance B, Austria Büro für Integrationsprojekte, Austria EASPD – European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities, Belgium Donegal Cheese, Ireland Szimbiozis Foundation, Hungary

Day Care and Work Centre Polž Maribor Is a public-security institution financed by Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Affairs. The centre includes 184 users and 70 employees. Basic day care takes place on week days from 7am to 3pm. It includes: guidance, care and employment under special working conditions for adults with intellectual disabilities. In employment programmes the users create products from environment friendly materials, run laundry and print shop and provide services for partner companies. Numerous additional programmes: voluntary work, experimental social enterprise project, international project Grundtvig 2, medical programme of health care, integrated employment (Baumax, Garhil), activities above standard and integrating activities: sports, culture, recreation, life-long learning etc. Day care activities take place on 5 locations in the region, while institutional care is organised in 3 units.

Happy Farm objectives To prevent social exclusion and to increase job opportunities for the unemployed. To raise the quality of life the target groups disadvantaged in the labor market. To ensure new jobs, new forms of employment for the unemployed people disadvantaged in the labour market. To develop a new model of social enterprise on the farm and thus to contribute to the revival of the countryside.

Happy Farm objectives The created programs will be based on ecological farming, which will be a small contribution in raising the public’s ecological awareness. The farms will provide quality services for the wider community and promote healthy and quality leisure activities – touristical, recreational and educational To strengthen the European dimension and to exchange knowledge and experience between the partner countries. To inform the wider public about the project’s results and to spread the examples of good practice.

Happy Farm target groups people with disabilities and people with decreased working abilities the unemployed elderly the youth without completed formal education and the unemployed (people with elementary or vocational school diploma or without completed elementary or high school education) other groups, defined as disadvantaged in the labour market

Happy Farm results To educate and train project group members and potential management staff in order to set up and run a social firm on a farm and offer tourist, recreation and education activities and ecologically produced food. To prepare a new quality educational programme - vocational programme until the 3rd level of complexity for the new occupational profile. It shall be made in a way that allows certification. To do and publish the analysis of the existing certified vocational systems for people with reduced abilities.

Happy Farm results To check if the transfer of the existing programmes is possible between the partner countries. To check if the certification of the prepared vocational programme is possible in partner countries. To create 3 concrete social enterprise programmes on a farm, adapted to help in the integration of disadvantaged groups in the labor market. The programmes will provide a basis for the start and work of the social firm.

Happy Farm results To carry out social enterprise programmes partly on farms (valorization). To check the economic feasibility of the social enterprise models. To carry out parts of education vocational topics within the experimental groups. Webpage, handbook with results, CDs, leaflets

Happy Farm Thank you for your attention. Contact person: Contact person: Andra Lujić Tel.: Tel.: Fax: Fax: Webpage: Project responsible: Project responsible: Sabina Petek