YHP GERMANY
Location
Hamburg and Wedel.
Timing
Phase I 2013 – 2015; Phase II 2017- 2021
The context
At the start of the programme in 2013 there were over 700 young people living on the streets of Hamburg. These ‘street kids’ experienced poverty, violence, poor diet and lack of personal hygiene, and struggled to access appropriate health care. This was often exacerbated by previous negative experiences of the healthcare system.
Our objectives
To make a positive, measurable and sustainable impact on the health of street kids in Hamburg, to help them to access good healthcare and handle their health issues with independence and responsibility, and re-integrate into society.
By the end of the programme we aim to have directly reached 3,100 young people.
Our programme
During Phase I we supported three separate strands of activity:
- Sani-HH - a health-training programme that teaches adolescents the basics of hygiene and first aid, and provides these trained ‘Peer Educators’ with first aid packs that they can use to help other young people.
- Work experience opportunities with Flohbuy, a second-hand shop run by our partner basis & woge.
- Private tuition through Hirntoaster – an education programme that helps young people to follow their interests to discover and strengthen their abilities, and to re-enter school and prepare for exams.
Phase II sees an extension of this work, providing health care classes, personal counseling sessions and workshops on healthy living, nutrition and cooking.
Our achievements
1,478 young people have directly participated since the start of the programme in 2013.
During phase I, 45 young people were trained as Sani-HH Peer Educators (20 of whom went on to work for 14 days in a refugee camp in Greece), and 129 undertook work experience with Flohbuy. A further 20 young people received private tutoring through the Hirntoaster scheme.
804 young people were reached with programme messaging and health and well-being information, together with over 300 frontline health workers, parents, teachers, politicians and other community organisations.
Young people from the programme participated in two conferences organised by the German Caritas Association to help prioritise youth projects in Hamburg, and represented streetkids in a delegation to local politicians facilitated by Momo - a youth-counselling centre in Hamburg.
In addition to providing financial support to the programme, around 80 of the 460 AstraZeneca employees at our Wedel site near Hamburg have been involved in 13 separate projects working with young people. AstraZeneca is also developing employment models that strengthen self-reliance and offer young people opportunities for a more orderly life.
Awareness raising campaigns and other external activities have reached two million people since the start of the programme.
In 2017 YHP Germany was a finalist in the Deutschen CSR-Preis in the category: Exemplary cooperation with an NGO.
Our partners
Basis & woge e.V. works with people to help them to regain their rights and recognition. Their work with ‘street kids’ aims to provide them with a safe harbour.
