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Description
The Close Neighbor organisation has been working with socially disadvantaged families, especially Roma, in Pilsen for more than ten years. One of the big problems that this group faces is the low level of education achieved by adult members of the community and their attitude to it. The result for children is insufficient guidance to study and low motivation. As part of this project, we will provide study support, pre-school club, individual and group tutoring, preparation for entrance exams and consultations in the field of education for students and their parents.
We will further motivate children to general growth and education through leisure activities, such as regular hobby groups in our clubhouse, trips to the countryside, and cultural and sporting events. In the summer we will organize residential camps in nature and suburban camps in Pilsen. The aim of these activities is to offer children a quality program in which they are given the opportunity to develop their talents and experience that education is meaningful and can be fun. We will drive motivational events also with a focus on entire families and the Roma community. As part of the weekend and multi-day stays for families with children, we will introduce to parents the opportunities for an efficient support of their children in learning and the means of cooperation with school facilities.
We will cooperate with our project partner - the 22nd Pilsen Elementary School. The project activities will also include seminars for teachers, discussions with students, seminars with a Norwegian partner organization and training courses for employees of the organization. The aim of the project is to improve the learning outcomes of Roma students in Pilsen and its surroundings, to improve communication between parents and schools in Pilsen and to promote mutual understanding and respect between Roma and the majority society. During the project we will involve over 120 children from more than 50 Roma families.
Summary of project results
The target group of the project were children from socially disadvantaged families from the Roma minority. Children suffer from negative consequences of many family problems: poor housing conditions, debts, addictions, crime... For these reasons, they have very limited opportunities to spend their free time. Families lack the capacity to pay attention to children individually and support them in studies. The problem is also the lack of awareness of the issue among educators and the public.
The project implemented 8 key activities with a total of 17 outputs. 3 conferences with 55 participants, published book, 30 events for 53 families, 8 weekend trips for 30 families, 3 seminars for 37 teachers, 2 teambuilding trips, 35x employee training, 11 seminars with a Norwegian partner with 17 participants, 5 hobby groups with 124 children in the group for the school year, 34 events for children with 322 participants, 17 children in the majority group for the semester, 61 children tutored, consultations on education with 30 families, 48 children in the group for preschool and younger school children, 4 residential camps with 75 participations, 4 suburban
camps with 101 participations, 234 lectured students. The activities were important for supporting family stabilization, acquiring positive habits of spending free time together, creating a safe environment for children.
The project supported 75 families from 6 different municipalities. The activities contributed to mutual tolerance between the Roma minority and the majority, to the support of formal and informal education and social inclusion. A graduate of the training obtained a long-term job as a caregiver with accommodation for her family. Of the tutored pupils, two successfully passed the school-leaving exam, ten continue their education at secondary school (only two dropped out) and one at university.
Summary of bilateral results
Within the framework of the partnership, there was mutual enrichment in the field of work with persons with disabilities, as well as in the possibilities of financing and presentation of non-profit organizations. The partner also participated in a published book with the Roma minority:https://blizkysoused.cz/kniha-o-organizaci/. The cooperation had a wider impact, was very beneficial and continues even after the end of the project. In June 2024, there was a joint participation and presentation at an international conference sharing bilateral cooperation within the Norwegian Funds organized in Romania. In addition, a joint bilateral project is underway, the content of which is mutual study visits, the creation of an analysis of the possibilities of supporting the education of Roma pupils and students, and the publication of a book on working with the Roma minority in English.