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You Can Do It!

Klára Nekolová (26) comes from Česká Lípa. Since she was a child she wanted to work as an art ceramist. That is why she moved with her mother to Prague to study her dream branch. However, she found out soon that it is really a lovely profession but it will not make her living. So Klára found herself at the Employment Office. There she learned about the project called You Can Do It! Due to it she left for six-week educational stay in Slovakia where she got a lot of valuable experience but she mainly got her further career trajectory straight.

You Can Do It! project is financed by the European Social Fund and is designated for young people up to 30 years. First, Klára went through - together with other participants in the project - so-called Educational Week. "Every day, we had different programme. For example we talked about how to return to school, we tried job interviews or we were supposed to prepare a family monthly budget," describes Klára. Young people also got to know about difficulties of the Labour Code or worked on the improvement of computer skills. The last day was focused on communication, self presentation, searching for positive attributes and assertiveness. All participants received a certificate. "Just only this improves your self-confidence. If you have no experience, then such piece of paper moves you somewhere else," states Klára. "After one-week workshop we noticed the first successes. Two of nine participants found a job and one young lady started studying at university," enumerates successes of the educational week Bára Pšenicová, a Project Manager.  

However, the main thing was still waiting for project participants. Fife of them, including Klára, left for a working stay in Nitra Community Trust. The group was accompanied by a mentor who helped them with adaptation. "The aim of the stay for our clients was to try different professions, found out what they like, what they are good at and what they would like to do. Last but not least it is also about them - if they are able to adapt themselves. Nevertheless, they have to stay together with unknown people for six weeks," describes Bára Pšenicová.

Nitra Community Trust runs cultural centre called Hidepark. The team of young people missed in Nitra a place where to spend leisure time. So they gradually changed an illegal dump in the public park. In summer, there take place music festivals and different workshops, people grow vegetable in the community garden... There is a lot of work. Klára was excited: "I was always interested in volunteering and this place was designed right for me. I really like the word community with everything which is related to it." The participants in the Project tried everything what was possible, including manual work and administration too. It was necessary to mow loan, collect entrance fees to concerts, to build up a ceramic kiln for workshop... One young female participant worked for the financial manager directly in Nitra Community Trust; another participant created websites for a non-profit organization and some participants helped in the threshold centre for youth.

Klára always liked taking photographs and when she was in Nitra, she pursued that actively. She took pictures of her colleagues at work, concerts and other activities of the Community Centre. "It was that moment when I realized that I enjoy taking photographs and I would like to do it," she remembers. And she had also the opportunity to arrange the exhibition of her own photographs in Hidepark. "The exhibition itself meant to me great experience as well. I found out what everything is part of it - I had to design leaflets and have them made, to arrange their distribution and take care of the installation of photographs..."

She returned from Slovakia full of energy and plans for the future. She and her friend, a make-up woman from the National Theatre, have a business plan which is based right on taking photographs. We cannot reveal more for some reasons, of course :-). The young girl follows her dream systematically and purposefully. She also found the company which offers accredited photography courses. If she happens to stands up for her business plan at the Employment Office, they will pay for the course within requalification. Klára has a counsellor who helps her with "paper work". Every participant in the stay has such counsellor. She also takes photographs as a volunteer, cooperates with Lapidarium Gallery and prepares for a lecture on funds for beginning entrepreneurs. Due to her experience in Nitra she has a dream to create her own community centre where the artists of all sorts would meet - painters, writers, sculptors... "Since the time I was at the presentation of You Can Do It! project I have been living a different life. It was a break point and a life opportunity which I hope I use completely," says Klára. We have no choice but keep our fingers crossed!

Operational Programme       Operational Programme Employment
Project name You Can Do It! 
Project number CZ.03.3.48/0.0/0.0/15_032/0000067
Beneficiary AMA - Asociace manažerů absolventů, z. s. 
Realization 1. 5. 2016 - 30. 4. 2017
Subsidy 5 786 799,06 Kč
Website www.amanno.org

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15.11.2019