The Youth Cheer Up Residents and Diversify Activities in Disability Services
An experiment between the Disability Services of the Wellbeing Services County, the City of Espoo’s Employment Services and WorkPilots has received excellent feedback from young people and the clients and staff of the Disability Services.
Young people are able to undertake individual work gigs in the Haukilahti housing unit through the WorkPilots app. The experiment has provided young people with valuable experience in the social and health sector, and the residents have received the additional support and activities they needed.
The residents’ wishes are fulfilled
Supervisor Sara Nurmi from the Haukilahti housing unit says that young people help the residents with, for example, outdoor activities and excursions.
“Our residents have asked for more activities, and now we can more easily fulfil their wishes with the help of young people,” Nurmi enthuses.
Instructor Susanna Aalto plans the activities for which young people are recruited and selects the most suitable applicants to fulfil the residents’ wishes. The residents have given positive feedback and described the young people as kind and nice.
“The most important thing is not necessarily what is done, but that something is done in the first place,” says Aalto.
The feedback from the residents indicates that the encounters have been positive. Leena and Tuula reminisced about the disco and hoped that it would be organised again. Nina thought that it was nice to have young people come to the unit.
The staff have also praised the young people for being empathetic and interested in the residents. The participation of the youth has brought a breath of fresh air to the unit, and the clients have also received attention from people other than the staff.
“The young people have carried out their tasks excellently and as agreed. They have taken the residents well into account,” the staff commend.
Susanna Aalto says that the participation of the youth cheers up the residents, diversifies the activities and frees up staff for other tasks. It is useful for the youth to familiarise themselves with the diverse nature of the social welfare and healthcare sector as well as the tasks of the disability services.
“Young people are very enthusiastic, and I would like to give work gigs to as many of them as possible,” says Aalto.
The cooperation will continue and expand as the experiment has produced positive results for all parties involved. The residents get more activities, and the young people gain valuable work experience.