[[en]]Since mid-March, StreetwiZe • Mobile School made working from home the new standard within the organisation, until further notice. All planned Mobile School trainings abroad were cancelled and no new expeditions will be planned till the summer at least. Unfortunately, this means that the start-ups of new mobile schools in Poland and Georgia are delayed, and a planned exploration in Uganda and Tanzania will be rescheduled as soon as the situation allows. Meanwhile, our staff is taking the opportunity to experiment with a variety of online meeting- and brainstorm tools to keep remotely in touch and to make sure work is continuing in the best way possible. [[fr]]Since mid-March, StreetwiZe • Mobile School made working from home the new standard within the organisation, until further notice. All planned Mobile School trainings abroad were cancelled and no new expeditions will be planned till the summer at least. Unfortunately, this means that the start-ups of new mobile schools in Poland and Georgia are delayed, and a planned exploration in Uganda and Tanzania will be rescheduled as soon as the situation allows. Meanwhile, our staff is taking the opportunity to experiment with a variety of online meeting- and brainstorm tools to keep remotely in touch and to make sure work is continuing in the best way possible. [[es]]Since mid-March, StreetwiZe • Mobile School made working from home the new standard within the organisation, until further notice. All planned Mobile School trainings abroad were cancelled and no new expeditions will be planned till the summer at least. Unfortunately, this means that the start-ups of new mobile schools in Poland and Georgia are delayed, and a planned exploration in Uganda and Tanzania will be rescheduled as soon as the situation allows. Meanwhile, our staff is taking the opportunity to experiment with a variety of online meeting- and brainstorm tools to keep remotely in touch and to make sure work is continuing in the best way possible. [[pt]]Since mid-March, StreetwiZe • Mobile School made working from home the new standard within the organisation, until further notice. All planned Mobile School trainings abroad were cancelled and no new expeditions will be planned till the summer at least. Unfortunately, this means that the start-ups of new mobile schools in Poland and Georgia are delayed, and a planned exploration in Uganda and Tanzania will be rescheduled as soon as the situation allows. Meanwhile, our staff is taking the opportunity to experiment with a variety of online meeting- and brainstorm tools to keep remotely in touch and to make sure work is continuing in the best way possible. [[nl]]Midden maart besloot StreetwiZe • Mobile School om van telewerken tot nader order de nieuwe standaard te maken. Alle geplande Mobile School trainingen in het buitenland werden afgelast en nieuwe expedities zullen al zeker tot aan de zomer niet doorgaan. Jammer genoeg betekent dit ook uitstel voor de opstart van de nieuwe mobiele scholen in Polen en Georgië en ook de geplande prospectiebezoeken bij projecten in Oeganda en Tanzania worden uitgesteld naar een nader te bepalen datum. In tussentijd focust ons team op de opportuniteiten door een handvol online tools uit te testen en er zo voor te zorgen dat de professionele molen ook in uitdagende tijden zo goed mogelijk blijft draaien.

[[en]]What about our partners? [[fr]]What about our partners? [[es]]What about our partners? [[pt]]What about our partners? [[nl]]Wat met onze partners?

[[en]]For our global partner projects, huge challenges arise to make sure their services to street-connected children can continue. Lockdowns, self-isolation, quarantines, curfews and social distancing measures have forced a lot of organisations to drastically cut their (street work) interventions, at a crucial time when young people and families on the street are struggling to get access to both correct information and the necessary services and hygiene supplies to protect themselves properly against Covid-19. [[fr]]For our global partner projects, huge challenges arise to make sure their services to street-connected children can continue. Lockdowns, self-isolation, quarantines, curfews and social distancing measures have forced a lot of organisations to drastically cut their (street work) interventions, at a crucial time when young people and families on the street are struggling to get access to both correct information and the necessary services and hygiene supplies to protect themselves properly against Covid-19. [[es]]For our global partner projects, huge challenges arise to make sure their services to street-connected children can continue. Lockdowns, self-isolation, quarantines, curfews and social distancing measures have forced a lot of organisations to drastically cut their (street work) interventions, at a crucial time when young people and families on the street are struggling to get access to both correct information and the necessary services and hygiene supplies to protect themselves properly against Covid-19. [[pt]]For our global partner projects, huge challenges arise to make sure their services to street-connected children can continue. Lockdowns, self-isolation, quarantines, curfews and social distancing measures have forced a lot of organisations to drastically cut their (street work) interventions, at a crucial time when young people and families on the street are struggling to get access to both correct information and the necessary services and hygiene supplies to protect themselves properly against Covid-19. [[nl]]Onze lokale partners wereldwijd worden net zoals iedereen geconfronteerd met enorme uitdagingen om hun werk op straat verder te zetten. Lockdowns, zelfisolatie, quarantainemaatregelen, het instellen van een avondklok en de social distancing maatregelen maken dat veel organisaties noodgedwongen hun straathoekwerk moesten opschorten, net op een moment wanneer de nood bij de doelgroep nog hoger is dan voorheen al het geval was. Voor vele kinderen en families op straat blijft het immers moeilijk om correcte informatie en elementaire hygiënische producten te hebben om zich op een degelijke manier te beschermen tegen het coronavirus.

[[en]]On four continents, our partners are doing everything in their power to stand with their target group. In Poland, schools are closed since March 16, but street workers of our partner Fundacja Ukryte Skrzydla in Krakow now organise so called ‘Open Hours’ during which children can call or chat with social workers. For many children who do not have a warm nest and are living in dysfunctional families, the lockdowns and stay-home orders are a disaster because how do you stay home, when home is not a safe space for you to be? [[fr]]On four continents, our partners are doing everything in their power to stand with their target group. In Poland, schools are closed since March 16, but street workers of our partner Fundacja Ukryte Skrzydla in Krakow now organise so called ‘Open Hours’ during which children can call or chat with social workers. For many children who do not have a warm nest and are living in dysfunctional families, the lockdowns and stay-home orders are a disaster because how do you stay home, when home is not a safe space for you to be? [[es]]On four continents, our partners are doing everything in their power to stand with their target group. In Poland, schools are closed since March 16, but street workers of our partner Fundacja Ukryte Skrzydla in Krakow now organise so called ‘Open Hours’ during which children can call or chat with social workers. For many children who do not have a warm nest and are living in dysfunctional families, the lockdowns and stay-home orders are a disaster because how do you stay home, when home is not a safe space for you to be? [[pt]]On four continents, our partners are doing everything in their power to stand with their target group. In Poland, schools are closed since March 16, but street workers of our partner Fundacja Ukryte Skrzydla in Krakow now organise so called ‘Open Hours’ during which children can call or chat with social workers. For many children who do not have a warm nest and are living in dysfunctional families, the lockdowns and stay-home orders are a disaster because how do you stay home, when home is not a safe space for you to be? [[nl]]Op de vier continenten verzetten onze partners vandaag hemel en aarde om de gasten op straat bij te staan. In Polen - waar de scholen gesloten zijn sinds 16 maart – organiseren de straathoekwerkers van partner Fundacja Ukryte Skrzydla in Krakau zogenaamde ‘Open Hours’ (‘open uren’) zodat de kinderen kunnen bellen of chatten met leden van het team. Veel van deze kinderen hebben geen warme thuis en groeien op in problematische thuissituaties, waardoor verplicht binnenblijven voor hen een ware nachtmerrie is. Hoe kan je thuis blijven, als ‘thuis’ geen veilige plek is om op te groeien?

[[en]]In Kenya, many of the young people our partners Child Rescue Kenya, Glad’s House, Kenya Good Neighbors and The Joy Divine are working with, don’t even have a place to go and are spending the night on the streets. These young people simply have no alternative to public spaces where basic hygiene facilities are not available. The risk for these people is that governments will use the outbreak of the corona virus and the declared state of emergencies to forcibly remove the children from the streets and criminalise them for breaking the restriction movements. Therefore, street workers in countries such as Kenya are still hitting the street – taking into account the social distancing measures – to inform and follow-up on the kids and to install hand washing points. [[fr]]In Kenya, many of the young people our partners Child Rescue Kenya, Glad’s House, Kenya Good Neighbors and The Joy Divine are working with, don’t even have a place to go and are spending the night on the streets. These young people simply have no alternative to public spaces where basic hygiene facilities are not available. The risk for these people is that governments will use the outbreak of the corona virus and the declared state of emergencies to forcibly remove the children from the streets and criminalise them for breaking the restriction movements. Therefore, street workers in countries such as Kenya are still hitting the street – taking into account the social distancing measures – to inform and follow-up on the kids and to install hand washing points. [[es]]In Kenya, many of the young people our partners Child Rescue Kenya, Glad’s House, Kenya Good Neighbors and The Joy Divine are working with, don’t even have a place to go and are spending the night on the streets. These young people simply have no alternative to public spaces where basic hygiene facilities are not available. The risk for these people is that governments will use the outbreak of the corona virus and the declared state of emergencies to forcibly remove the children from the streets and criminalise them for breaking the restriction movements. Therefore, street workers in countries such as Kenya are still hitting the street – taking into account the social distancing measures – to inform and follow-up on the kids and to install hand washing points. [[pt]]In Kenya, many of the young people our partners Child Rescue Kenya, Glad’s House, Kenya Good Neighbors and The Joy Divine are working with, don’t even have a place to go and are spending the night on the streets. These young people simply have no alternative to public spaces where basic hygiene facilities are not available. The risk for these people is that governments will use the outbreak of the corona virus and the declared state of emergencies to forcibly remove the children from the streets and criminalise them for breaking the restriction movements. Therefore, street workers in countries such as Kenya are still hitting the street – taking into account the social distancing measures – to inform and follow-up on the kids and to install hand washing points. [[nl]]In Kenia hebben veel jongeren waar onze partners Child Rescue Kenya, Glad’s House, Kenya Good Neighbors en The Joy Divine dagelijks mee werken geen vaste thuis meer, waardoor zij ’s nachts in groep op straat slapen. Deze jongeren hebben geen toegang tot openbare plaatsen waar ze kunnen douchen of hun handen kunnen wassen met zeep en proper water. Het risico voor deze doelgroep is des te groter, omdat verschillende overheden de coronapandemie aangrijpen om jongeren te arresteren en hen – nog meer dan tevoren – criminaliseren voor het overtreden van de huidige maatregelen. Daarom gaan straathoekwerkers in Kenia nog steeds de straat op om informatie te geven aan de jongeren, hun situatie op te volgen en om watervoorzieningen te installeren bij de plaatsen waar zij de nacht doorbrengen.

[[en]]The activities of our Mexican partners Alimentos Para la Vida and Yolia Niñas de la calle in Querétaro and Mexico City also came to a standstill. All restrictive measures are currently in place till the end of April, but it’s still unclear if restrictions can be lifted by then… And in India, our partner EkTara was forced to close their educational centre. The lockdown means the families they work with don’t get their daily wages and have extra mouths to feed at home since schools are closed. Community workers are now available by phone and make sure the right information is available to the people living in the slums. [[fr]]The activities of our Mexican partners Alimentos Para la Vida and Yolia Niñas de la calle in Querétaro and Mexico City also came to a standstill. All restrictive measures are currently in place till the end of April, but it’s still unclear if restrictions can be lifted by then… And in India, our partner EkTara was forced to close their educational centre. The lockdown means the families they work with don’t get their daily wages and have extra mouths to feed at home since schools are closed. Community workers are now available by phone and make sure the right information is available to the people living in the slums. [[es]]The activities of our Mexican partners Alimentos Para la Vida and Yolia Niñas de la calle in Querétaro and Mexico City also came to a standstill. All restrictive measures are currently in place till the end of April, but it’s still unclear if restrictions can be lifted by then… And in India, our partner EkTara was forced to close their educational centre. The lockdown means the families they work with don’t get their daily wages and have extra mouths to feed at home since schools are closed. Community workers are now available by phone and make sure the right information is available to the people living in the slums. [[pt]]The activities of our Mexican partners Alimentos Para la Vida and Yolia Niñas de la calle in Querétaro and Mexico City also came to a standstill. All restrictive measures are currently in place till the end of April, but it’s still unclear if restrictions can be lifted by then… And in India, our partner EkTara was forced to close their educational centre. The lockdown means the families they work with don’t get their daily wages and have extra mouths to feed at home since schools are closed. Community workers are now available by phone and make sure the right information is available to the people living in the slums. [[nl]]De interventies van onze Mexicaanse partners Alimentos Para la Vida en Yolia Niñas de la Calle in respectievelijk Querétaro en Mexico Stad staan momenteel ook on hold. Alle restricties gelden in Mexico momenteel tot eind april, maar het is maar de vraag of alles begin mei opnieuw kan hervatten … En in India ten slotte werd ook onze lokale partner EkTara gedwongen om hun educatief centrum te sluiten. De lndische lockdown betekent dat de families waarmee de organisatie werkt momenteel geen inkomsten hebben én daarbovenop thuis nog eens extra monden te voeden hebben, omdat de kinderen nu geen schoolmaaltijd meer krijgen. Sociale werkers uit de gemeenschap houden daarom zoveel mogelijk contact met de families om te noden te bekijken en voedselpakketten en correcte informatie te geven aan zij die het plots nog harder nodig hebben.

[[en]]Something good comes out of every crisis [[fr]]Something good comes out of every crisis [[es]]Something good comes out of every crisis [[pt]]Something good comes out of every crisis [[nl]]Positieve focus in tijden van crisis

[[en]]It’s clear the world is facing unprecedented times, and the uncertainty about the disease leaves a lot of people with a feeling of not being in control. However, a StreetwiZe approach is now needed more than ever to seize this moment to look at the future with confidence and to make the best out of this situation. In the past weeks, street workers have been looking for new solutions to reach their target group, social workers have gone completely digital to ensure continuity of their programmes, teams have created new activities and content to share online, and colleagues have been meeting and brainstorming remotely by using different tools. In business, competing supermarket chains are now joining forces to make sure health personnel gets the opportunity to get their groceries delivered without any hassle, and on a personal level, parents are constantly inventing creative methodologies to teach and entertain their children at home, making sure learning deficits are limited to a minimum. Moreover, organisations such as Digital4Youth are - with the support of the Flemish government - encouraging companies to donate about 10.000 laptops to vulnerable young people who don’t have computer access at home and are therefore unable to complete their homework or take lessons online. [[fr]]It’s clear the world is facing unprecedented times, and the uncertainty about the disease leaves a lot of people with a feeling of not being in control. However, a StreetwiZe approach is now needed more than ever to seize this moment to look at the future with confidence and to make the best out of this situation. In the past weeks, street workers have been looking for new solutions to reach their target group, social workers have gone completely digital to ensure continuity of their programmes, teams have created new activities and content to share online, and colleagues have been meeting and brainstorming remotely by using different tools. In business, competing supermarket chains are now joining forces to make sure health personnel gets the opportunity to get their groceries delivered without any hassle, and on a personal level, parents are constantly inventing creative methodologies to teach and entertain their children at home, making sure learning deficits are limited to a minimum. Moreover, organisations such as Digital4Youth are - with the support of the Flemish government - encouraging companies to donate about 10.000 laptops to vulnerable young people who don’t have computer access at home and are therefore unable to complete their homework or take lessons online. [[es]]It’s clear the world is facing unprecedented times, and the uncertainty about the disease leaves a lot of people with a feeling of not being in control. However, a StreetwiZe approach is now needed more than ever to seize this moment to look at the future with confidence and to make the best out of this situation. In the past weeks, street workers have been looking for new solutions to reach their target group, social workers have gone completely digital to ensure continuity of their programmes, teams have created new activities and content to share online, and colleagues have been meeting and brainstorming remotely by using different tools. In business, competing supermarket chains are now joining forces to make sure health personnel gets the opportunity to get their groceries delivered without any hassle, and on a personal level, parents are constantly inventing creative methodologies to teach and entertain their children at home, making sure learning deficits are limited to a minimum. Moreover, organisations such as Digital4Youth are - with the support of the Flemish government - encouraging companies to donate about 10.000 laptops to vulnerable young people who don’t have computer access at home and are therefore unable to complete their homework or take lessons online. [[pt]]It’s clear the world is facing unprecedented times, and the uncertainty about the disease leaves a lot of people with a feeling of not being in control. However, a StreetwiZe approach is now needed more than ever to seize this moment to look at the future with confidence and to make the best out of this situation. In the past weeks, street workers have been looking for new solutions to reach their target group, social workers have gone completely digital to ensure continuity of their programmes, teams have created new activities and content to share online, and colleagues have been meeting and brainstorming remotely by using different tools. In business, competing supermarket chains are now joining forces to make sure health personnel gets the opportunity to get their groceries delivered without any hassle, and on a personal level, parents are constantly inventing creative methodologies to teach and entertain their children at home, making sure learning deficits are limited to a minimum. Moreover, organisations such as Digital4Youth are - with the support of the Flemish government - encouraging companies to donate about 10.000 laptops to vulnerable young people who don’t have computer access at home and are therefore unable to complete their homework or take lessons online. [[nl]]Het is duidelijk dat de huidige maatregelen ongezien zijn, en de onzekerheid en het gebrek aan toekomstperspectief zorgt ervoor dat veel mensen angstig zijn en het gevoel krijgen dat ze plots alle controle verloren zijn. Toch is een StreetwiZe-attitude vandaag de dag meer dan ooit nodig om dit moment te grijpen om de toekomst met vertrouwen tegemoet te kijken. De voorbije weken zochten straathoekwerkers naar creatieve oplossingen om toch in contact te blijven met hun doelgroepen, sociaal werkers gingen volledig digitaal om de continuïteit van bepaalde projecten te verzekeren, teams creëerden nieuwe educatieve activiteiten om online uit te wisselen, en collega’s gingen razendsnel aan de slag met online meeting- en brainstormtools om de afstand te overbruggen. Op ondernemingsniveau werken concurrerende supermarkten nu samen om ervoor te zorgen dat zorgpersoneel zo efficiënt mogelijk hun boodschappen kunnen doen en op persoonlijk vlak zijn ouders opeens creatieve duizendpoten die hun kinderen spelenderwijs iets bijbrengen met behulp van innovatieve leermethodes om mogelijke leerachterstanden tot een minimum te beperken. Om dan nog niet te spreken over organisaties als Digital4Youth die – met steun van de Vlaamse Overheid – bedrijven aanzetten om 10.000 laptops te doneren aan kwetsbare jongeren die thuis geen toegang hebben tot een computer en zo in een systeem van afstandsonderwijs uit de boot dreigen te vallen.

[[en]]Despite the dark side of the pandemic, people and organisations now have the time to go through a thorough reflection on the why, how and what of their daily life. For government institutions, the corona virus might therefore be an opportunity to come up with long-term sustainable solutions to deliver basic needs to vulnerable children and families. And for Mobile School, the halting of activities might be the perfect time to accelerate on the development of our digital StreetSmart methodology and to refine our offer to street work organisations worldwide. Let us therefore use the learnings from the street to learn the right lessons from this challenging situation. [[fr]]Despite the dark side of the pandemic, people and organisations now have the time to go through a thorough reflection on the why, how and what of their daily life. For government institutions, the corona virus might therefore be an opportunity to come up with long-term sustainable solutions to deliver basic needs to vulnerable children and families. And for Mobile School, the halting of activities might be the perfect time to accelerate on the development of our digital StreetSmart methodology and to refine our offer to street work organisations worldwide. Let us therefore use the learnings from the street to learn the right lessons from this challenging situation. [[es]]Despite the dark side of the pandemic, people and organisations now have the time to go through a thorough reflection on the why, how and what of their daily life. For government institutions, the corona virus might therefore be an opportunity to come up with long-term sustainable solutions to deliver basic needs to vulnerable children and families. And for Mobile School, the halting of activities might be the perfect time to accelerate on the development of our digital StreetSmart methodology and to refine our offer to street work organisations worldwide. Let us therefore use the learnings from the street to learn the right lessons from this challenging situation. [[pt]]Despite the dark side of the pandemic, people and organisations now have the time to go through a thorough reflection on the why, how and what of their daily life. For government institutions, the corona virus might therefore be an opportunity to come up with long-term sustainable solutions to deliver basic needs to vulnerable children and families. And for Mobile School, the halting of activities might be the perfect time to accelerate on the development of our digital StreetSmart methodology and to refine our offer to street work organisations worldwide. Let us therefore use the learnings from the street to learn the right lessons from this challenging situation. [[nl]]Ondanks de onmiskenbaar desastreuze impact van deze pandemie, hebben mensen én organisaties nu de tijd om alles op een rijtje te zetten en te bekijken hoe we de zaken tijdens én na de crisis willen aanpakken. Voor overheden betekent dit dé uitgelezen kans om meer aandacht te geven aan lange termijnoplossingen voor kwetsbare jongeren en volwassenen op straat. Voor Mobile School is het wegvallen van bepaalde activiteiten dan weer het ideale moment om te accelereren op de ontwikkeling van onze digitale StreetSmart tools en om ons educatief aanbod in vraag te stellen en bij te schaven. Laat ons daarom de lessen van de straat gebruiken om de juiste lessen te trekken uit deze globale crisis.

[[en]]Be streetwize, stay safe and stay healthy! [[fr]]Be streetwize, stay safe and stay healthy! [[es]]Be streetwize, stay safe and stay healthy! [[pt]]Be streetwize, stay safe and stay healthy! [[nl]]Zorg goed voor jezelf, zorg goed voor elkaar, be streetwize en tot heel erg snel!

‍

[[en]]Sources [[fr]]Sources [[es]]Sources [[pt]]Sources [[nl]]Bronnen

https://www.streetinvest.org/blog/covid-19-streets
https://www.streetchildren.org/news-and-updates/covid-19-and-street-connected-childrens-rights/
https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2020/03/21/opinie-kwetsbare-jongeren/
https://www.klasse.be/220246/afstandsonderwijs-kwetsbare-leerlingen/
https://youtu.be/tpOvEMdizt4
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/apr/15/will-we-die-of-hunger-how-covid-19-lockdowns-imperil-street-children