Working With Young People With Special Needs Within The Youth Transition Project As They Enter The Labour Market During The Covid-19 Epidemic

Under normal circumstances, we are able to effortlessly coordinate our own inner tensions with the external influences posed by the environment, and react accordingly. Crisis situations, however, shake the foundations of our actions, because all of a sudden the prior experiences that drive our usual behaviour patterns are no longer appropriate for successfully dealing with the new situation. Therefore, in order to adapt appropriately, it is extremely important to find new ways of acting or to adjust our existing actions to any new, somewhat unusual situation (Lavrič & Štirn, 2016). This is especially important for professionals dealing with individuals with special needs who are even more vulnerable during crisis situations. Therefore, it has been crucial during the COVID-19 epidemic that professionals working with young people with special needs within the Youth Transition project had the ability to adapt quickly to this new situation and found ways to be available despite the imposed restrictions. Within the Youth Transition project, we are addressing the significant problem of unemployment among young people with special needs. The target group we work with is young people for whom major problems are anticipated during their transition to the labour market and/or during their employment. The project itself, its objectives, and the working methods used to successfully help bring young people with special needs closer to the labour market will be presented along with the specific methods that have proved effective during the COVID-19 epidemic.