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Description
Despite the improvement of the conditions for equal access of Roma children to education, we are still facing dropouts of Roma pupils from the education system. Socioeconomic background and family can also influence the educational aspirations of the pupil, which has been confirmed by many pieces of research carried out in the Czech Republic.
The most common cause of this fact is the low motivation of families caused by their way of thinking and lack of communication of parents with the school.
Our project focuses on empowering Roma families using the proven methodology of community organization developed during our campaigns for enrolment of Roma children in non-segregated schools.
Our goal is to empower parents to such an extent that they become active in the education process, motivate their children and become full-fledged partners of the school. By introducing the principles of effective communication between Roma parents and the school, we will limit the barriers standing in the way of a Roma child to higher education. In addition, we will work with Roma children in the second grade of elementary schools on information, motivation and ethno-emancipation.
One of the activities, the suburban camps, will build a positive relationship with the school, introduce pupils to several positive role models from successfully educated Roma, and educate Roma pupils in the field of Roma history, culture, language and strengthen their "Romipen".
We have many years of experience in organizing Roma parents, while the partner Roma organization CENTRUM SPOLECNEHO ZAJMU z.s. is experienced in the field of organizing extracurricular activities and summer camps. Our valuable partners are three schools, where we will solve the problem of insufficient communication with parents and dropouts of Roma children from primary education. The result of our work will be a methodology for communication between the school and Roma parents.
Summary of project results
The primary schools were struggling with the early departure of Roma pupils, and it was impossible to motivate pupils and parents to continue at the primary school. There continued to be misunderstandings in the framework of communication between representatives of primary schools and Roma parents. Based on feedback from representatives of primary schools and parents, the situation improved during the implementation of the project
The project reached a total of 726 beneficiaries, of which 663 were of Roma origin. This number far exceeds the original goals and indicates the high efficiency and reach of the project. The importance of these activities lies in their comprehensive approach to the issue of educating Roma children. The project did not only focus on pupils, but involved entire families and communities, thus creating a sustainable system of support. Empowering parents and creating a methodology for schools are particularly important steps for long-term change.The project contributed to a better understanding between schools and Roma families, increased pupils'' motivation to study and boosted their self-confidence. At the same time, project helped build bridges between the Roma and non-Roma communities, which is key to overall social inclusion.
Informing Romani families: 177 families were contacted. This broadening of awareness of the importance of education was crucial to the success of the project.
Empowerment of Roma parents: 30 parents have undergone intensive training and certificates. These parents became "empowered parents," able to support their children''s education and help other parents in the community.
Methodology for schools: a comprehensive methodology focused on cooperation between schools and Roma families was created. The aim was to prevent Romani pupils from dropping out of primary schools. This methodology is available online and can serve as a valuable resource for other schools.
Community Events and Seminars: Project promoter organized 15 community events and 21 seminars. These events were focused on motivating Roma pupils to continue their studies at secondary schools and preparing for the admission procedure.
Day camps: Project promoter organized camps for 252 children, including both Roma and non-Roma participants. These camps focused on ethno-emancipation and building positive interethnic relations.
177 Roma parents were informally educated in the area of education and discrimination, they acquired skills in the area of communication with primary schools, especially in cases where there was a misunderstanding between Roma parents and representatives of primary schools due to cultural differences. 30 Roma parents, who chose for their children to continue to study at secondary school, have been empowered and built leadership in continuous cooperation even after the end of the project. Practices and methods have been created to ensure the inclusion of Roma pupils in mainstream partner primary schools. Roma families (parents and pupils) who participated in the project activities became full partners of the schools, the school environment was improved, which is now friendlier and without prejudices towards different cultures. Leadership was built and 30 Roma parents were empowered with the right to quality education, who will continue to organize other families.
Summary of bilateral results
The project promoter communicated with the partner from Norway (the SEIF organization) several times during the project, consulted with them about the progress of the project. He agreed to apply for a bilateral project and visit him in Norway and organize a joint event. The cooperation with SEIF was beneficial, at the beginning of the project and during the course, experiences with young migrants were consulted and recommendations were used in the activities of suburban camps.