Twenty-Three Stops, Hundreds of Children: The Educational Tour Heads to Moravia This Autumn
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Eight months. Twenty-three children's homes and residential educational institutions. From Jemnice to Ostrava. Jonáš Motyčka of Správný start completed the first full circuit of his educational tour with VOLONTÉ. He didn't stop for the summer either – he even visited a children's summer camp. The tour resumes in the second half of September, this time mainly in Moravia.
A Transit Station
Jonáš Motyčka has spent twelve years supporting young people leaving institutional care. In that time he has helped more than 150 young people move into independent life – helping them find work, housing, and hobbies. Správný start, his project, puts it simply: it's a transit station between a children's home or residential institution and everyday life.
The collaboration with VOLONTÉ began with courses in an unexpected setting – prisons. Only later came the idea of returning to children's homes and residential institutions with an educational programme. The project VOL Mezi dvěma světy (Between Two Worlds), which focuses on children in institutional care whose parent is serving a prison sentence, gave Jonáš a base and a partner. The tour could begin.
We have also written about this partnership in earlier articles (in Czech): In Příbram: When Education Comes to Young People, Jonáš Motyčka: Správný Start Is a Transit Station Between Institutional Care and Everyday Life and The VOLONTÉ and Správný Start Partnership with Jonáš Motyčka: From Education in Children's Homes to the Barber Course.
What Happens at the Sessions
Young people in children's homes are used to adults who arrive with a programme, forms, or a lecture. Jonáš arrives differently – with video, with stories, with questions. The room opens up gradually: cautiously at first, then more.
The sessions cover financial literacy, communication skills, the basics of law, preparing for the job market, and prevention of addiction. A special place is reserved for a topic rarely raised elsewhere: how to manage contact with a parent serving a prison sentence – how to prepare for a visit or a phone call, how to work with your own emotions.
But what resonates most with the children is something else. The tour goes mainly to children's homes, where young people don't yet fully face leaving institutional care and don't yet grasp the risks and responsibilities that come with it. What interests them most is support for their own interests – sport, music, anything they enjoy and want to grow in. “It's actually one of the first points of contact we have with the children,” says Jonáš. And it doesn't stop at talk – Správný start tries to help young people with their interests in concrete, practical ways.
The children are also keenly interested in mental health – especially when Jonáš mentions that he made the film Horská dráha (Roller Coaster) about borderline personality disorder.
You can watch the film on his Herohero channel.
Emotional Anchor
The key concept Jonáš talks about is the emotional anchor. “They often add me on social media. That way they know I exist – and when the time comes, they reach out,” he explains. The point isn't for a young person to leave a session with a specific action plan. The point is for them to remember a face and know who they can turn to when they need it.
That's why Jonáš keeps returning to the same facilities. The tour isn't a one-off event – ongoing return visits are planned through the end of 2027.
What the Children Say
The best measure is the reaction of the people it's all for.
“I really enjoyed it. It was exciting and interesting. We had lots of questions. We also had a great laugh – we all cracked up.”
Klára, 15 – Pyšely Children's Home
“Jonáš Motyčka's visit showed me that financial literacy doesn't have to be boring. His educational video explained complicated topics clearly, using real-life examples. I'm taking away real motivation and a practical way to think about my own budget.”
Tomáš, 17 – Žďár nad Sázavou Residential Educational Institution
“At our children's home we held an event on the theme “Ask for Help.” We talked about how important it is not to be afraid to ask for help – for example when looking for housing, or in other life situations. Jonáš Motyčka was a big inspiration to me; he helped me with music and showed me how things work. I'm glad I got to know him, and I know I can turn to him any time. To others I'd like to say: if you need help with anything, don't be afraid to say so. Help is out there.”
Adam, 16 – Ostrava Hrabová Children's Home
Children's names have been changed.
Twenty-Three Stops
Between November 2025 and June 2026, the tour made a total of 23 stops – 17 children's homes and 6 residential educational institutions across the Czech Republic.
Date | Facility |
25 Nov 2025 | Jemnice Children's Home |
25 Nov 2025 | Budkov Children's Home |
14 Dec 2025 | Nové Strašecí Children's Home |
24 Jan 2026 | Dubá Deštná Children's Home |
27 Jan 2026 | Dolní Počernice Children's Home |
8 Feb 2026 | Unhošť Children's Home |
12 Feb 2026 | Janštejn Residential Educational Institution |
12 Feb 2026 | Velké Meziříčí Residential Educational Institution |
12 Feb 2026 | Žďár nad Sázavou Residential Educational Institution |
8 Mar 2026 | Potštejn Children's Home |
15 Mar 2026 | Pšov Residential Educational Institution |
17 Mar 2026 | Zvíkovské Podhradí Children's Home |
29 Mar 2026 | Pepa Children's Home – Příbram |
10 Apr 2026 | Lipová Children's Home |
11 Apr 2026 | Žatec Children's Home |
19 Apr 2026 | Pyšely Children's Home |
26 Apr 2026 | Tisá Children's Home |
10 May 2026 | Prostějov Children's Home |
10 May 2026 | Lipník nad Bečvou Children's Home |
31 May 2026 | Krupka Children's Home |
13 Jun 2026 | Lichnov Children's Home |
13 Jun 2026 | Velké Heraltice Children's Home |
13 Jun 2026 | Ostrava Hrabová Children's Home |
No Summer Break
Summer brought a change of format, not a stop – though it's very much the exception. The tour's priority is visiting specific children's homes in individual locations. The camp in Jizbice, in the Vysočina region, was different: young people from all over the Czech Republic gathered there, and the invitation came from a long-standing partner, Dobré víly dětem (Good Fairies for Children).
Mental health, meanwhile, isn't a new topic – Jonáš raises it at practically every stop. But at more informal events like the camp, it gets far more room. “Thanks to the more relaxed atmosphere, and maybe the fact that there were no care staff from children's homes around, the young people found it easier to talk about these things and were more interested,” Jonáš explains. The result was a lively discussion about borderline personality disorder and a joint screening of the film Horská dráha.
The tour returns to children's homes and residential institutions in the second half of September. Jonáš is planning a pace of roughly two to four stops a month – this time mainly in Moravia.
The Tour Runs Thanks to Its Partners
Alongside VOLONTÉ CZECH, the tour is supported long-term by general partner Broker Trust, as well as Friends Forever Finance, Peugeot Písek, Gitano perfumes, and Řekni si o pomoc (Ask for Help). The educational video now used in the sessions in children's homes and residential institutions was made possible by financial and content support from Broker Trust and Friends Forever.
We look forward to the next leg, and we thank Jonáš Motyčka and the whole Správný start team for the first big circuit. Focused, authentic work that doesn't rely on presentations, but on people who have lived it.
The VOL Mezi dvěma světy project (Between Two Worlds, reg. no. CZ.03.02.02/00/24_077/0005465) is implemented through the Employment Plus Operational Programme, co-financed by the European Social Fund and the state budget of the Czech Republic. The project is co-financed by the European Union.
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