Zhytomyr Regional Association of Social Professionals
Zhytomyr Regional Association of Social Professionals is a non-profit organization established in 2006 comprising experts with rich experience in social and civic projects. Currently, the Association has 17 members and 29 volunteers. Among them: doctors of pedagogy, economics, seasoned coordinators of social projects, experts of the Ministry of Agriculture of Ukraine and specialists on social and economic problems in rural areas, faculty and students of the Social and Psychological Department of Ivan Franko Zhytomyr State University, and social workers.
The organization developed and implemented more than 30 social and civic projects through grant support and local fundraising in local communities and business circles.
The mission of the Association is to create an effective mechanism for the implementation and development of social programs and community initiatives to ensure social justice by nurturing and supporting the least protected groups of society and mitigating drivers of social exclusion.
Key areas activities:
- Combatting discrimination of socially disadvantaged women, gender oriented training, integration of gender in various spheres of life in Zhytomyr region through the implementation of social projects and public actions;
- Combatting illegal migration through participation in international projects, implementation of local initiatives and participation in the work of the Coordinating Council on Family, Gender Equality, Demographic Development and Combating Trafficking in Human Beings;
- Humanization of the penitentiary system through the implementation of social projects for prisoners and penitentiary system staff, coordination of the activities of the Public Council under the Office of the State Department of Ukraine for the Execution of Sentences in Zhytomyr region;
- Introduction of the basics of ethnic, intercultural, and gender tolerance to representatives of ethnic and other minority groups through the training of students and participation in the foundation and work of the Center for Tolerance and Intercultural Education at the Student Social Service for Youth of Ivan Franko Zhytomyr State University;
- Promoting inclusive society principles, attracting public attention to people with special needs, promoting tolerant behaviour towards them, moral and ethical norms of an inclusive society as an environment of equal opportunities for all citizens, integration of young people with special needs through the introduction of the annual Youth Inclusive Theater Festival "Theater without Borders", as well as various programs for non-formal learning;
- Combating domestic violence through the provision of social services for victims and development of relevant preventive actions.
