Croatia Calling
By Laura Croucher
Croatia Calling Group
Slobostina
•Slobostina is part of the centre for rehabilitation in
Zagreb , similar to a special school.
•Slobostina takes children from toddlers to 11 years
(depending on service provision) with moderate to
severe learning disabilities.
•Currently Slobostina caters for 160 children: 24 live at
the centre, 54 are on the home programme and 90 live
within a family.
•The aim of the centre is to teach children daily living
skills and basic literacy skills.
•The children have access to speech and language
therapy, physiotherapy, psychology, dentist, neuropaediatrician, psychiatry and nursing care.
•Other facilities include an extensive sensory room,
swimming pool and their own horse for horse riding.
Other Centres of Rehabilitation
Centre for Autism - Rijeka
Centre 1
A educational service for children with autism.
Their aim is to improve social and interaction skills,
problem solving, patience and communication. They
also participated in different sensory activities.
Centre 2
A day service for young adults with autism. Here
the service users were involved in carpentry work, arts
and ceramics. They also had access to computers and a
play station. The service users also benefit from horse
riding.
Centre for autism - Zagreb
Our Role
Our role was to get as involved in interacting with the
staff and service users as possible. During other
times on the trip, it was appropriate just to observe.
Free time
What you can gain
•Language barriers meant we had to exercise our
non-verbal communication skills, both with the
service users and staff
•We were able to observe how people with learning
disabilities are cared for Croatia which is similar to
the way it used to be in the UK before the move to
integration.
•More experience with children and young adults
with autism and/or learning disabilities.
•An insight into how services vary from country to
country.
What Croatia gained
•Staff were able to observe and learn about the
type of care people with autism and/or learning
disabilities receive in the UK.
•They got an insight into person centred
planning from Eric!
•As a group we managed to donate £1,500
which they are putting towards building a
kitchen to learn independent living skills.
What I learnt about myself
Attending Croatia Calling enabled me develop
my non-verbal communication skills and I
learnt that when put in a situation like that I
am able to create interaction. I also realised
how organised I could be and my ability to
establish good fundraising techniques. There
was also an element of discovering more
about my personality from spending two
weeks in another country with I did not know
before!
Things to remember
• Croatia Calling will take place 21st May till 4th
June 2011.
• Applications should be submitted to Eric by
31st January 2011.
• Croatia Calling will cost approximately £800 so
if you’re going to fundraise, start early!
• It’s a great opportunity and will look brilliant
on your CV!
Benefits of Croatia Calling
The benefits of Croatia Calling is that it runs at
a different time to the national/international
electives which means that if you wish you can
do both. Also, unlike the electives, the only
thing you have to organise yourself are your
flights. The rest is done for you. Lastly, you
have the support of other students and a UWE
lecturer rather than going alone.
That’s all from me
Thanks for listening!