SOTAS (Social Service Volunteers)

SOTAS (Social Service Volunteers) is a non-governmental organization (NGO) founded in Lithuania in 2002 at the initiative of several friends who wished to respond to the needs of young people and families experiencing difficulties. The focus of the projects of the organization is the complexity of intervention: the aim is to make different activities integrated and linked to one objective – to provide social assistance to children and families.
Objectives of SOTAS activities
- To seek for people’s well-being and their overall social integration, with a special focus on their education on different levels – first of all, on the recognition of their value and dignity;
- To strengthen the family as a primary and the most important environment of personality development, to foster common human values and to provide socio-educational assistance for children and their families who experience difficulties;
- To encourage solidarity and partnership between non-governmental and public institutions, to create a cooperation network in order to satisfy the needs of people who are in need of assistance;
- To join in creating a newer and more effective social policy related to the well-being of children, youth and their families and a social culture based on underlying values and positive attitudes.
SOTAS work method
1) Person is in the center of attention
2) Starting from the positive
3) Doing with to whom the project is targeted and building with them
4) Development of community work and subsidiarity
5) Partnership
Activities
- Social-educational work with children and young people living in a socially unfavorable environment (Children and youth day care centre);
- Working with families at social risk : providing a social worker, educator and psychologist’s consultation and organizing groups of parenting skills;
- Support by distance programme for children living in difficult situations;
- Search and preparation of the people who want to become foster or adoptive parents, helping them during and after the adoption process;
- Encouragement of “ordinary” families to gather together and participate more actively in society, as well as empowerment of existing communities;
- Social policy: lobbying in order to strengthen and protect the family institution
- Official AVSI (Italy) partner for international adoption;
- Organizing trainings, seminars and conferences and preparing methodical publications for social workers, educators, other specialists and interested people;
- Organizing voluntary work.