Sunshine Club
The Alcohol and Drug Help Ambulance Association provided a variety of cultural and artistic activities for young people from the housing estate and all those interested in the Sunshine Club. The organisation of the programmes started in March 2022 and lasted until the end of December 2023, thanks to the Veszprém-Balaton 2023 European Capital of Culture Programme. In addition to the implementation of the programmes, the motivation, opening up and sensitisation of children and young people to culture and the arts was continuously carried out. The main emphasis of the free and open programme of cultural and artistic education was on the use of experiential methods, which enabled participants to experience success and discover their creative talents. Sunshine Club will continue to operate thanks to the support of the Municipal City of Veszprém.
With less extensive programmes than the grants were able to provide, and with the addition of other activities, we will provide a variety of free programmes to ensure that age-appropriate leisure time is meaningful and useful. There are opportunities for games, learning, family time, one-to-one discussions, information, creative activities, preventive education, workshops and clubs, and a drug prevention escape room called AmazeING. The escape room theme has been developed by our own social workers. The story tells the life of a boy. In the first part of the game, you will be able to piece together the background of the story with the help of the tasks, and in the second part, the continuation of the boy's story. The story includes drug abuse, imprisonment and a broken family.
In our daily work, we provide direct support to children with a variety of problems (age, social circumstances, individual life situations), try to help them develop their conflict resolution and communication skills, prevent bullying and minimise negative peer effects. The mental and emotional education of young people is supported and through our programmes we inconspicuously transmit values that help them integrate into society.
They will also receive accurate information on the harmful effects of substance abuse and its consequences. If the children directly need any help, or if a problem within the family, at school, with a behavioural or mental problem becomes apparent during play and spontaneous conversation, we can refer them to an educational counsellor, a family counsellor, a nurse or a psychologist within our institution.
The target group of the club room are young people from Veszprém, children from housing estates, young people, secondary school pupils, university students who consider it important to have a substance-free community space and who are happy to talk to professionals, otherwise it is open to anyone who follows the house rules. The club is open on weekdays from Monday to Friday from 12:00 to 18:00, with 2 people present during all opening hours to welcome participants, organise and run the programmes. The weekly programme is designed to provide opportunities for guided teamwork, individual and group experiences, the development of individual strengths, informal socialising and play. Through the programmes, they can learn without noticing the basic skills and rules necessary for peaceful coexistence in society. We use games to help develop positive behaviour and contribute to the development of human values such as responsibility, cooperation, respect, honesty, patience and empathy. We often provide meals for the children. In the time that has passed since the initial opening of the club, the children have come to trust us as we provide a safe environment in which they can talk openly and honestly about their problems if they wish. We have a total of 159 visitors to the club, with an average of 20 regular daily visitors.
