When faced with poverty, it can be incredibly difficult to find a job and turn your life around. Groep Intro vzw West-Vlaanderen offers vulnerable jobseekers in Belgium an opportunity to make a living and build a better future.

Wesley Harris is just one of the people the project has helped. He explains that his perspective and self-worth were positively changed after taking part: ‘During the project, we learned to accept a compliment instead of minimising our achievements or efforts. From now on, we use a new quote: you catch a compliment in the air, put it in your pocket and take it with you.’

A member of the project team, Ludwine Pauwelyn has noticed that people facing poverty find it difficult to prioritise their own wellbeing. Ludwine believes the project helps to empower vulnerable people to take care of themselves. ‘Together with them, we want to start with [building] their own strength, and work towards activation in the labour market,’ she says.

Funded by the European Social Fund (ESF), the project helps jobseekers  develop the tools and resources they need to find work. Through the programme, they can access individual and group counselling, as well as screening to give the organisers a good understanding of their unique situation and needs. Each person then takes part in a course designed around their needs, and receives a personalised a development plan.

‘We mainly receive positive reactions from participants,’ notes Ludwine, explaining that after they participate in the programme, jobseekers often share how they have expanded their network, gained insight into their situation, and overcame barriers as a result.