overcome

Since January 2025, teenagers and young adults aged between 14 and 26 (inclusive) in the Waldeck-Frankenberg district have been receiving support, advice and guidance from social education specialists through the ‘overcome’ project as they make the transition to independent living. The aim of the programme is to empower participants to lead an independent life and to provide them with access to appropriate further support services.

This may involve providing individual support to help young people find suitable accommodation, offering assistance with healthcare, helping them apply for social security benefits, or ultimately facilitating their (re)integration into the labour market. The main focus is on promoting the young people’s independence and supporting them in their personal development.

In particular, ‘overcome’ supports young people who have grown up in a residential youth care facility or with a foster family and now have to navigate the transition to independent living – so-called ‘care leavers’. The programme is also aimed at young people who are currently neither in education nor in work or employment, and who are not registered with the Jobcentre or the Employment Agency. These young people often find themselves in difficult circumstances without any links to institutional support. Furthermore, the project can also support young people who are ‘at risk of disengagement’ but who can still be reached (to a limited extent) through institutional services. In these cases, the aim is to avert the threat of disengagement and ensure long-term connection to (social) support systems.

The ‘overcome’ project focuses on providing holistic support to help participants lead independent lives and integrate into the education and labour markets.

This is a voluntary, easily accessible service.