Continuing Our Support for Employment and Debt Resolution in the MAS Boleslavsko Region

At the start of 2026, we joined as a partner in the project Support for Community Activities of MAS Boleslavsko 2, implemented in the Boleslavsko region by MAS Boleslavsko z.ú. After the first half-year of implementation, we can sum up what got off the ground — and why we're continuing this work in the months ahead.

What the project is about

The Support for Community Activities of MAS Boleslavsko 2 project (reg. no. CZ.03.02.01/00/25_084/0006320) runs from January 2026 through the end of 2028 and is funded through the Operational Programme Employment Plus (OPZ+), co-financed by the European Social Fund and the state budget of the Czech Republic. The applicant and recipient of the grant is MAS Boleslavsko z.ú.; VOLONTÉ CZECH, o.p.s. is one of the project's financial partners — specifically responsible for two key activities focused on employment and debt resolution.

What we do in the project

Supporting a return to the labor market. For people who want to change their work situation but lack qualifications or work habits, we offer individual guidance — from jointly building a plan of next steps to requalification courses that improve their chances on the local labor market. We also bring in local employers, the Probation and Mediation Service, and the Labour Office, so the support genuinely matches what the regional market needs.

Resolving debt situations. Debt is often one of the main obstacles preventing people from finding stable employment or housing. Our debt counselors work individually with clients to map their financial situation, help with negotiations with creditors and bailiffs, and, where it makes sense, help prepare a debt-relief (insolvency) petition. This work takes place both at a counseling office in the MAS Boleslavsko region and directly in prisons.

The two activities are closely linked — experience shows that job-seeking rarely succeeds while debt problems remain unresolved.

How things stand after the first half-year

Between January and June 2026, we managed to:

• hold a kickoff meeting with key regional stakeholders (January 2026), attended by employers from the region

• run two motivational sessions for people interested in changing their employment situation

• successfully complete a course on operating a brush cutter, chainsaw, and mower — all twelve participants completed the course and received certificates

• get individual debt counseling underway for the first clients from the region, including the filing of six insolvency petitions

Both key activities continue, and in the coming monitoring periods will be expanded with additional job counselors, case managers, and a broader range of requalification courses — including, among others, a welding course, forklift operation, and a digital literacy course.

What's next

The project will run until the end of 2028, and our goal over that time is to help dozens of people from the Boleslavsko region find their way back into the labor market and get their debt situation under control. In the coming months, we plan to expand the implementation team and hold several more workshops, where we'll share with partners and local stakeholders how the work with clients is progressing.

We'll keep sharing updates on the project's progress on our blog.

The project Support for Community Activities of MAS Boleslavsko 2 (reg. no. CZ.03.02.01/00/25_084/0006320) is implemented through the Operational Programme Employment Plus, co-financed by the European Social Fund and the state budget of the Czech Republic. The project is co-financed by the European Union.