Ratolest Brno z.s.

Brno, Czech Republic

Ratolest Brno, z.s. is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation providing services for children, youth, and families. Its mission is to help socially disadvantaged children, young people, and families in resolving their adverse life situations, or preventing such circumstances. By offering equal opportunities to our clients, we target an improvement of quality of life and a successful (re)integration into society. Ratolest Brno gives children a chance to grow up in functional families and supports young people who have veered off course. We provide free services for children and young people, most of whom are growing up in dysfunctional families.

The organisation consists of three social services (Youth Drop-in Club Likusák, Youth Drop-in Club Pavlač and the social activation programme for families), various preventive programmes, and a volunteer centre that supports and develops volunteerism. Since 2015, Ratolest Brno has been engaged in the social enterprise Bajkazyl Brno. This allows us to offer our clients jobs, so that we can support them in (re)integrating into society and the job market.

Furthermore, Ratolest Brno plays an important role in the strategic and methodical area of social services in the region and on a national level by being actively involved in local and national professional associations, macro practice (participating in community planning; monitoring, analysing, and evaluating social services, creating new sub-services and activities in response to new (client) needs and environmental demands, etc.).  

Youth Drop-in Pavlač

Youth Drop-in Club Pavlač is a social service that offers professional services for children and youth in socially excluded areas in Brno since 2001. Social exclusion in the Czech Republic is closely related to ethnicity and a culture of poverty. We consider all children and youth living in socially excluded areas in Brno as vulnerable. At-risk youth in these areas can be reached via both street work (including visits to hostels where poor families with children and youth live) and our youth drop-in club. We apply the following methods and activities: self-development programmes, preventive activities, activation and empowerment, strengthening decision-making skills, educational activities, enhancing ICT skills, etc.

As we consider networking and collaboration to be a key factor to eliminating social exclusion, youth Drop-in Pavlač has been running a pilot project in close cooperation with the social activation programme for families since late 2014. The cooperation enables us to offer complex and coordinated assistance for families living in socially excluded areas. 

Youth Drop-in Likusák

The Drop-in Club Likusák is an easy-access social service that is part of the social prevention services of Ratolest. We started our work in 2004 and offer free ambulant, street-based, and online services. The main target group includes children and young people from Brno who are affected and endangered by problematic social phenomena. Our work aims to improve the quality of life for these young people by reducing risk factors through social intervention as well as preventive, educational programmes and by providing a safe environment and room for leisure activities.