VOLONTÉ × Správný start: with Jonáš Motyčka from education in children’s homes to the Barber course and follow-up activities
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VOLONTÉ has long been connecting practice, education and support for people who are at the beginning of a new life stage. One partnership that brings this approach to life in a very concrete way is our cooperation with Jonáš Motyčka and his project Správný start.
Jonáš describes Správný start as a “transfer station” between a children’s home, a youth detention/educational institute, or foster care and everyday life—support that prepares a young person and then accompanies them as they move from an environment where they are materially provided for into the reality of independence. In practice, this means help with employment and housing, and strengthening motivation and stability so that a young person can stand on their own feet.
As part of this cooperation, we run educational programmes focused on financial literacy in children’s homes, along with sessions featuring peer educators from Správný start. In January 2026, specific visits took place on 24 January at the Dubá Deštná Children’s Home and on 27 January at the Horní Počernice Children’s Home, where Jonáš travelled with three peers. For this article we also include photographs from further educational visits to other facilities—Unhošť Children’s Home, Janštejn Educational Institute, Velké Meziříčí Educational Institute, and Žďár nad Sázavou Educational Institute—which capture additional stops on the educational tour from early 2026.
Financial literacy is central to these meetings. According to Jonáš, financial literacy is often overlooked even in the general population—let alone among young people from institutional care, who grow up in a “bubble” of material security and may leave with a distorted idea of the value of things and what everyday budgeting looks like. The goal is to gradually change how they think: to build habits of planning ahead, understand basic financial products, read contract terms, and know when and how to ask for help—so they can avoid debt traps or “quick shortcuts”.
A significant part of the programme is the peer element. Jonáš says that involving peers brings greater authenticity: young people find it easier to connect with someone who has lived through similar experiences and can speak from the inside. He selects peers from Správný start graduates—people he has known for a long time, who are stable and motivated to give back to the community what they once received.
Activities in children’s homes are not one-off events—they are planned throughout the entire project period, up to the end of 2027. Jonáš openly says that repeated presence and reminders matter: while young people often “don’t feel they need help” during their stay, the key is to build trust and awareness, so that when a real-life challenge comes, they know who to turn to.
However, our cooperation with Jonáš Motyčka is not limited to children’s homes. One concrete intersection is also the “Barber” course at Všehrdy Prison, which we have already covered separately on the VOLONTÉ blog. In the interview, Jonáš emphasizes that this course was an important confirmation that the cooperation works—followed by the impulse to launch the educational tour again in children’s homes and educational institutes.
More details about the Barber course can be found here:
The cooperation also relates to the VOL Without Invisible Victims project and the VOL Towards Qualifications and Work project. We will add more information on the specific forms of involvement as the next steps are agreed, so that the resulting activities match the real needs of the target groups and remain practically feasible.
We want to build on our joint activities with further steps. At the moment, the main focus is on following up the completed Barber course, which received positive feedback. Continuity matters to us: to set the next steps so that there are no unnecessary delays between education, practice and real employment.
Information on project funding
The project VOL Between Two Worlds (reg. no. CZ.03.02.02/00/24_077/0005465) 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.
The project “VOL Comprehensive Employment Programme” (reg. no. CZ.03.01.01/00/24_078/0005026) is supported by the Operational Programme Employment Plus, co-financed by the European Social Fund Plus.
The project VOL Towards Qualifications and Work (reg. no. CZ.03.01.01/00/23_056/0004021) 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.
The project VOL Without Invisible Victims (reg. no. CZ.03.02.02/00/24_066/0004673) 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.
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