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Youth-Single Parent Centers Open in Lithuania

Two centers will soon be helping to ensure better futures for youth and single parents in Lithuania. Part of the funding for the centers comes from a $24,000 grant to the IAWP Foundation from UAB Phillip Morris Lietuva. The Lithuania IAWP Chapter has hands-on oversight of the IAWP funds and is working closely with the Lithuanian National Labour Exchange to implement the grant and administer the two centers.

The first center in Šiauliai opened March 7. Phillip Morris Lietuva representatives, the Minister of Social Security and Labour Vilija Blinkeviciute, the Director General of the National Labour Exchange Vidas Šlekaitis, and the Mayor of Šiauliai City, among others, attended the opening. The second center in Klaipeda will open in April.

The centers will provide much-needed support services for disadvantaged families, youth, and single-parent households. The focus will be on effective life skills, including vocational education, prevention of poverty, and proactive management of crisis situations.

The project is important to the clients who will benefit from services, and it is also crucial to IAWP. It sets a precedent for IAWP in Public, Private, and Non-Government Organization partnership. (Public: Lithuania National Labour Exchange of Ministry of Social Security and Labour; Private: UAB Phillip Morris Lietuva; Non-Government Organization: IAWP Lithuania Chapter and the IAWP Foundation.)

It also continues the association's international outreach through the aid of a grant. This is the second international grant for the IAWP Foundation. The first was a $5,000 grant from UAB Phillip Morris Lietuva to help fund the first IAWP District XIX Conference held in Vilnius, Lithuania in 2001. This is also the second major IAWP project overseas -- the first being the Poland IAWP Women's Center in Gdansk, Poland.

The grant proposal was written by Ewa Kakiet-Springer, Liongina Beinoraviciene, and Larry Ludwig. Ojars Repins, Deborah Snider, Catherine Leapheart, and Nils Freivalds assisted.

	Opening ceremony at the Youth Centre.
	Minister of Social Security and Labour Vilija Blinkeviciute and Sigitas Baltuska, a representative of Phillip Morris Lietuva cut the ribbon.
	A training room at the centre.
	Director General Vidas Slekaitis and Genadijus Novikovas, a computer specialist from Šiauliai Labour Exchange.
	The Youth Centre in Šiauliai.