On November 4, 2015 the open-space workshop “Planning in the Complex World” was held at the Westin Hotel Zagreb. This one-day workshop on person-centered planning (PCP) was organized by the Association for Promoting Inclusion (API), CAE Validus, Open Society Mental Health Initiative and Neighbours International USA. 65 participants from 14 organizations, community service providers from the government and civil sector from Croatia took part in the workshop. The aim of the workshop was to gather participants professionally trained in person-centered planning, who implement PCP tools in practice, thus enabling the exchange of knowledge and experiences with the aim of mutual learning.
At the beginning of the workshop Slavenka Martinović – the director of CAE Validus, welcomed everyone and wished a pleasant joint learning experience.
Why do we provide support? How do we do our work to assure equal opportunity for all people? And what can we specifically do? – were the core questions participants dealt with during the workshop in order to ensure that persons with intellectual disabilities live a full life, gain respect and enjoy the right to live in the community like everybody else.
In our wish to encourage and deepen the thinking about a different relationship and communication, the participants were introduced to a “Credo For Support” and shared their thoughts on the parts they found most distinct. We also discussed the characteristics of a true organizational leader; identified problems and how best to approach them based on which category they belong to; and used video clips as a tool; all with the aim of raising the quality of support.
At the end of the workshop participants had the opportunity to partake in the World Café – a dialogue related to 3 questions with the aim to open the discussion and get new ideas from colleagues that they can apply in their respective organizations.
Trainers involved in the workshop were:
- Patti Scott and David Hasbury, experts from a US-based organization Neighbours International;
- Bojana Rozman, PhD, international consultant with extensive experience in the development of community supported services focused on providing inclusive and person-centered services for persons with intellectual disabilities;
The one-day workshop was held in the framework of the conference “Deinstitutionalization, Person Centered Planning and Inclusion”, which was held the following day, on November 5th, 2015, also at the Westin Hotel Zagreb.
The conference, organized by API, under the patronage of Milanka Opačić – the Vice President of the Government of Republic of Croatia and the Minister of Social Policy and Youth, gathered the representatives from non-governmental organizations, community service providers, institutions in transformation, ministries and local government bodies as well as educational institutions.
The conference celebrated 18 years of API’s successful work in supporting our fellow citizens with disabilities to exercise their right to live in the community.
CAE Validus, as one of the key stakeholders in strengthening the professional competence of experts and organizations in providing and developing services in the community for people with disabilities in Croatia and the region, joined the celebrations and wished a successful continuation of operation as a leader of change in granting the rights of persons with intellectual disabilities in Croatia and the region!
Photos of the workshop:
Photos of the conference:
