Description
The project aims to increase the chances of Roma children between 10-18 years to complete their education, focusing on the Roma children attending low-threshold clubs in Olomouc, Prostějov, Zábřeh and Mohelnice. These Roma children (approx. 320) will receive targeted support in their school activities; low-threshold clubs' workers will establish cooperation with local schools and receive feedback on the school results of involved children. The focus of the project will be placed on promoting children's personal development in low-threshold clubs, helping children to achieve their full potential by informal educational methods. The project outcomes will be disseminated electronically, by email and through stakeholder body networks and made available on the web. Evaluation report, manual of good practices and other materials developed thanks to the project will be presented at the Společnost Podané ruce's conference.
Summary of project results
The project started at the low-threshold youth centres in Olomouc, Prostějov, Zábřeh and Mohelnice where the main task of the coordinators was to create a suitable space for educational activities. At first, every coordinator had to deal with the unique and specific environment of each youth centre, which often reflected the individual needs of the children. The authenticity and originality invested in the direct work with the children brought along a safe space for creative thinking and psychosocial development. Another important step was the communication with schools. In the end, 7 schools successfully and fully participated in the SOAD project. Summary of project's key activities: Group activities in youth centres in the form of socially-interactive games and informal education. Improving the individual work with the children. Establishing cooperation with schools, communicating with teachers and offering workshops for basic school classes. Creating a manual of good practice including a set of functional methods of informal education. We approached more than 360 children who had problems with learning or discipline and offered them support and assistance at the youth centres (either in groups or individually). We established communication with more than 20 schools. With some of them we cooperated more closely in the form of workshops for classes and meetings with teachers or school counsellors. We have achieved 90% improvement in the children's school results and stabilized their school performance when working with them individually. The school workshops became popular among teachers because they offered a new way of looking at children performing poorly at school, or having disciplinary problems. In several cases we were able to identify children with learning problems and negotiate their transfer to appropriate schools which provide education for the children with specific learning needs.
Summary of bilateral results