Rosana Garcia participates in the territorial meeting of the IMEX project to evaluate results and share experiences between young people and participating entities
Rosana Garcia, a 21-year-old extutelada, accompanied by Suara Cooperativa and participant in FEPA's IMEX Project, attended the first territorial meeting organized by FEPA in Toledo last May 23. This event, which will be repeated in the coming months in the different autonomous communities of the state, aims to assess the successful implementation of the project, the results obtained and share knowledge and experiences.
An innovative project for the emancipation of underprivileged young people
The regional meeting of Castilla-La Mancha brought together several professionals, young people and entities involved in the IMEX Project. The aim was to share experiences, knowledge and preliminary results of the qualitative and quantitative research that has been carried out in this initiative of emancipation and empowerment of young people.
The IMEX Project, implemented from January 2022 in 9 autonomous communities, focuses on social innovation in the care of young people aged between 18 and 25. The initiative, which has the participation of 36 federated entities, among which is Suara, aims to promote and make effective the rights of this group, based on deinstitutionalizing, non-stigmatizing actions and providing a methodology of validated support for the independent life of these people.
A space for dialogue with the protagonists
One of the most emotional moments of the meeting was the round table "The dialogue space with the voice of the protagonists", where young people like Rosana and Yaiza Cañeque participated, who shared their experiences with the IMEX Project.
"For me, a referent of emancipation is a person you can go to whenever you need something, anything," explained Yaiza. "She accompanies me to medical appointments, she has taught me to cook, I can always go to her."
Rosana, for her part, wanted to thank all the professionals of the project for their dedication and support, "You don't know how necessary you are and how well you do it". "If the work will be remunerated for the heart you put in, you would be millionaires", he added.
A project that aims for a paradigm shift
The territorial meeting of Castilla-La Manca has served to highlight the successes of the IMEX Project and to identify new challenges and opportunities. As pointed out by Jordi Sàlvia, director of FEPA, "now is the time to model with the already existing reality and to open the project to new entities from all over the state". The IMEX project has experienced a paradigm shift in the Person-Centered Care Model, moving from an assistance model to a deinstitutionalizing model. This has been achieved with the implementation of the Referent of Emancipation, a professional role that works from a rights approach and with knowledge of community and local resources.
The IMEX Project is consolidating itself as a key initiative to guarantee the well-being and full autonomy of underserved young people, offering them tools and support to build an independent future full of possibilities.
Research results
The most outstanding results of the research have been produced in the line of the figure "Referente de Emancipación". Structural changes have been observed in the lives of young people who have been excluded, such as:
Improvements in residential stability: A 14.3% increase in the number of young people who rent a home after the implementation of the Reference of Emancipation.
Improvements in job stability: An 8.4% increase in the number of permanent contracts.
Improvements in social and community empowerment, economic empowerment and emotional well-being.
In total, 1,079 services have been provided in the IMEX project, with the participation of 715 young people. The modal profile of the participants was boys and girls between 20 and 27 years of age and of foreign origin.
These preliminary results are encouraging enough to continue with the implementation of the IMEX model in other contexts.
