The VICTORIA project, funded by the European Commission during the summer, to provide specialist training for social workers and healthcare practitioners caring for adult victims of violence (people with disabilities and mental health problems, migrants, etc.), was launched in Madrid on 25 and 26 November.  VICTORIA is the acronym of the project title "VICTims of violence Overstep Reluctance and Isolation through Adult education", and is being coordinated by the Juan Ciudad Foundation in Madrid, which hosted the inaugural meeting. The overall aim of the project is to develop an effective method to enable our guests from violent or troubled family and social backgrounds being cared for in the facilities of the Hospitaller Order to resume their education and  their vocational training.

The two days spent in Madrid were mainly run mainly by representatives of the Juan Ciudad Foundation and Hospitality Europe, who explained to the project partners the main outputs and products to be produced by the project: an innovative training programme to help victims of violence overcome their feeling of loneliness and isolation, and to draft a European protocol to help them re-join the world of education, training and employment.

The project will cover two years and involve the St John of God Centre in Ciempozuelos (Spain), the St. John of God Institute (Portugal), the St Richard Pampuri Night Shelter in Brescia, and the Rome Province’s Centre at Genzano (Italy).

You will be kept updated in the forthcoming issues of this Newsletter with progress with the Project, and the calendar of the European meetings.

The VICTORIA project has been funded with support from the European  Commission.

This   publication  reflects  the  views  only  of  the  author, and  the  Commission  cannot  be  held  responsible  for  any use  which may  be  made  of  the  information  contained therein.