Anglo-French European Project to promote youth’s access to housing • From September 2013 to March 2015 •
I n tro d u ct i o n
Tips to be self reliant in your housing
Sommaire Introduction 3 Painting 4 • Basic electricity 5 • Cooking 6-7 • Maintening a garden 8 • The project 9 • The partners 10-11 • Interreg programm 12 •
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his handbook assesses different workshops implemented in the frame of the DIY project. These workshops were well appreciated by participants, and we are convinced that these forms may help you in your research when looking for housing, and about the daily questions you might have. ■
Tips • • • • • • • • •
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Introduction to painting (two sessions) Introduction to electricity How to control your energy costs How to control your communication costs Humidity and condensation: how to manage them Gardening Cooking with leftovers Healthy eating on a small budget (two sessions) How to make your own cleaning products
In i tia tion
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I n i ti a ti o n
Painting
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Te s t i m o n i a ls
II did not realise that the preparation was so important, as important as the painting itself . »
« I can now paint for myself and help others to show them how to do it. I now know the difference with brushes, rollers and cutting in. »
« I didn’t even know how to change a lightbulb and would ask my boyfriend. Now I feel that I can do more things around the house without asking for help. »
• First, clean the walls. Remove dust, dirt, and grease spots (which can ruin a smooth finish) wash with water, a little mild dishwashing detergent, and a cellulose sponge. Rinse walls with clean water to remove the soap residue. • Outline with masking tape. Tape the trim, window, and doorframes. Be sure to use masking, low tack, which can be applied up to a week ahead. Remove tape immediately after painting, before the wall dries, so you don’t peel off any paint with it. • Make sure you choose the correct paint for the job as well as the amount needed plus extra.
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Tes t imo nials
I learnt many things from this workshop, especially with regards to what not to touch and when to call for a professional, such as when you smell fish from wires as this could mean faulty wiring and does mean maybe a problem with the electrics. »
TIPS
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Basic Electricity
infos
Fo r
Media Platform - diy.infini.fr
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infos
Media Platform - diy.infini.fr
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TIPS • If you rent a property it is the landlords responsibility to ensure that all electrics within the property are safe and within current legislative guidelines. • With regards to electrics if you are not sure, always call out a professional. If you are going to work with electrics Double-check to make sure that the appliance is unplugged before you start to work on it. • Always be aware of “overloading” of plugs within one socket.
In i tia tion
Cooking
How to cook nutritious and healthy food on a budget
with leftovers and bulk buying Te s ti m o n i a l s This has opened my eyes to what we throw away and how I can use different foods and save money. » « I often have my friends around for dinner and we eat food that is cheap but not always good and healthy. Now I am more aware of how I can cook for a lot of people on a budget but to make the food healthy and tasty. »
TIPS
TIPS
• You also save money that you would spend eating out “by default” because there’s nothing appetizing and convenient to eat at home. • You save a great deal of money when you buy in bulk and avoid impulse purchases at the grocery store, along with this you save time and always have something nutritious to eat.
• Buying foods on use buy dates if it is cheap but then freezing them on day of purchase. • Eat vegetarian a few times a week, meat can be expensive but you can get all nutrients you need from vegetarian food. • Minimise waste. • Instead of buying pizzas try making your own. Use wraps as a pizza base and top with what ever leftovers you have. • Make your own packed lunch for work, this will save you a great deal of money over the year.
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I nitia t ion
The project Do It Yourself
Maintaining a garden
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he DIY project is an anglo-french project involving two organisations from Brest (Brest Youth Information Center and Youth Forker Foyer “Kérélie”, member of “Amitiés d’Armor”) and an English charity (Point Europa, Cornwall) In the frame of the European program Interreg IV France (channel) England, these three organisations took the initiative to address the issue of youth housing. In a difficult economical context and in front of professional paths more and more affected by instability, it is more and more difficult for young people to fulfill the conditions to access autonomous housing. Young French and British people face common issues: • complexity of housing packages, • lack of financial warranties, • reluctance of private landlords towards young persons, perceived as instable and potentially risky. Each side of the Channel, youth workers and housing workers face this casualization of housing paths. In the frame of the project, exchange of experiences and practices and professionnal study
TIPS • Plant and grow a basic garden which needs little maintenance. • If you have a shared garden remember your responsibility and share the workload with your neighbour. • If you live in a “community” of social housing try to keep any outside space clean and well maintained. One of the main causes of arguments between communities and neighbours is the feeling of one person doing more than another and being taken for granted.
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visits in France and in Cornwall aimed to enable a reflection around common issues and to experiment new solutions. In parallel, young French and British young people acquired skills attending • information workshops aiming to help them in their housing searches, • technical workshops providing good tools to be self reliant in their future homes. During expression workshops, they discussed their housing paths, difficulties, needs, expectations. Our aim is for these testimonies to be used by housing professionals during their work. Do It Yourself is an innovative crossborder project looking for solutions facilitating access to housing for French and English young people. ■
Partners Information
Do It Yourself
FJT Kérélie - Les Amitiés d’Armor
The Youth Information Center Brest
The Youth Workers Foyer Kérélie is part of the not for profit organisation “Les Amitiés d’Armor” working in north-Finistère. The association works on 5 axis : • elderly people • home support • disabled people • early childhood and youth • with three Foyers
The Youth Information Center (BIJ) is a not for profit organisation, part of National Youth Information Network. The Bij's mission is to provide information to 16-35 young people in all the fields afecting them (education, trainings, professions, jobs, sports, culture, housing, health, rights, international mobility…) The BIJ has a significant experience in european projects and is involved since 2011 in the Interreg Program. The BIJ is the leader of this project. ■
The Foyer's mission is to promote housing for 16-30 young through support in different fields : jobs, trainings, leasure, health, access to autonomous housing…
Point Europa
Foyers receive a varied public : • ¼ students • ¼ job seekers • ¼ trainees • ¼ young people in a social inclusion process.
BREST MÉTROPOLE ÉMETTEUR
Point Europa is a not for profit organisation operating from South East Cornwall, since 2004, specializing in adult education opportunities, training, support and guidance, youth and community work. Point Europa is BREST MÉTROPOLE ET VILLE ÉMETTEURS, lorsque les deux institutions parlent ensemb actively involved in providing work based training opportunities, providing job shadowing and paid employment for previously unemployed people along with supporting young people with furthering their career. ■
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BREST MÉTROPOLE PARTENAIRE
Project partners
BREST MÉTROPOLE ET VILLE PARTENAIRES
European Regional Development Fund The European Union, investing in your future
Fonds europ en de d veloppement r gional L’Union europ enne investit dans votre avenir
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The programm European Regional Development Fund The European Union, investing in your future
Fonds europ en de d veloppement r gional L’Union europ enne investit dans votre avenir
Interreg IVA France-Channel The European cross-border programme Interreg IVA France (Channel) - England covers a wide geographical area reaching from Cornwall to Norfolk in England, and from “Finistère” to “Pas-de-Calais” in France. These territories share a common maritime border: the Channel. Therefore, the Interreg IVA France (Channel)- England programme aims to encourage - between the French and English parties- the emergence of: • an area of common citizenship, • a shared identity for the area of cooperation, • a sense of belonging to a cross-border area. With a financial budget of 161 million Euros from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the programme currently funds nearly 150 co-operation projects between France and England, which involve some 550 different organisations on both sides of the Channel. These projects deal with a wide range of co-operation topics that are supported by the programme: economic development, environment, culture, tourism, social inclusion, but also maritime cooperation. Projects receive an ERDF grant of a maximum of 50% of the total project budget. As regards the micro-project procedure – available only to private organisations such as charities and/or SMEs- the funding rate can reach up to 75%. This programme is managed by the Région Haute-Normandie. ■