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Description
The proposed project brings together three partners to work towards promoting refugee/migrant integration, by providing education and access to the labor market services for refugee/migrant children and youth, including unaccompanied minors. The partnership will also create knowledge-enhancing tools for inclusive education and employability counselling for this vulnerable group, and train frontline professionals (teachers and staff working with unaccompanied minors). Finally, the project will conduct targeted research on school dropout and relevant prevention methodologies.
The project will include the following activities:
1. Skills development activities - Greek and English language learning
2. Information and support for independent living - preparation for integration into the labor market
3. Data analysis - field research on school dropout
Summary of project results
There is a limited accessibility in language learning supporting courses for refugee and migrant children and adults, and the available ones, are directly linked with the residence type/legal documents, rather than the language learning needs. Also, migrant/refugee parents, do not have the necessary network that will support them with their children’s nurturing, resulting in extremely limited opportunities for learning the Greek language, according to their availability and their learning profile. Regarding unaccompanied children transitioning to adulthood, they have been facing severe adversities as, from the time they become adults, they need to become self-reliant both financially and in their daily life. Furthermore, little is known on the reasons that negatively influence migrant and refugee children that drop-out school. Among these children, the ratio of drop-out is higher than the local student community.
This project has been designed in three different action pillars to tackle the above- mentioned challenges: to ensure access and provide qualitative educational services along with creating educational resources for parents-learners, to build on the capacity of case mana managers – professional careers, and finally to research the influencing factors for school drop-out of migrant and refugee children. Following this methodology, the project aims to impact migrant and refugee children and families to tackle poverty, and to ensure that they have the necessary means to advance their capacity for a qualitative life.
1a) Greek Language Courses
As part of the implementation of the English and Greek language courses, 8 classes were created by SolidarityNow, depending on the level (based on initial diagnostic tests) and the age group of the participants. The group of students consisted of adults, children, parents, young refugees and migrants, including unaccompanied and formerly unaccompanied minors. Specifically:
Each cycle, lasting 11 weeks, offered targeted teaching to serve the needs of the trainees, with the total beneficiaries of actions amounting to 209 (based on participations and with the initial goal of 200). In order to have as little heterogeneity as possible in classes, placement tests were conducted for both Greek and English. Then the students were divided into similar classes of levels A1-B1. The classes started with a focus group discussion to investigate the needs of the trainees in order to design the lessons accordingly. The courses implemented many experiential and interactive activities that enhance participation, such as creation of infographics and brochures, shopping from local shops, external actions, cultural exchanges, aiming at the use of language in real conditions.
In English and Greek language courses, the distribution of students presented interesting demographic characteristics. In terms of gender, women accounted for 65.5% of the participations, while men accounted for 34.5%. In terms of legal status, the categories were varied: migrants represented 32% of students, asylum seekers 24%, beneficiaries of international protection 24%, and beneficiaries of temporary protection 19%. These data reveal the variety and composition of students who participated in the
courses, highlighting most women as well as the significant presence of various categories of migrants and refugees.
At the same time, under the scientific responsibility of the partner NKUA, the writing of a volume with the basic theoretical principles and the educational material, which was designed and used for the needs of the project, was completed. In this context, two departments of NKUA, the Department of Greek Literature and the Department of English Language and Literature collaborated to design and develop a unified curriculum for the two languages, considering that INtegration is a non-formal learning program, and promoting learning in physical conditions, outside the classroom, without textbooks, with emphasis on learners'' experiences.
In the first part of the volume, which bears the signature of the scientific coordinators of the language courses, the basic principles for the design and development of a Unified Curriculum for the Greek and English languages were analyzed. The second part presented suggestions of material created and implemented in the lessons by the teachers who took part in the program, with instructions for its implementation in other environments outside this program. Both parts can be considered an important contribution of the INtegration program in the field of language education of vulnerable groups and seal the cooperation achieved between the first University in the country and SolidarityNow. The educational material created was based on the needs and interests of students, based on a theoretical framework of principles and methods, such as activity-based learning, local pedagogy and intercultural education, while recognizing the importance of the first language. During the courses, many projects were implemented, while emphasis was placed on the development of oral language production. At the same time, special emphasis was placed on the parental role of adult refugees by including relevant thematic units in the lessons.
1b) Training of Professionals
Regarding professional counseling, one (1) online and four (4) face-to-face workshops were held, which were addressed to professionals employed in Accommodation Centers for Unaccompanied Minors (KFAA), Supervised Semi-Autonomous Living Apartments (EDID) and Emergency Accommodation Structures for Unaccompanied Minors (DEFAA) in the prefecture of Attica. The workshops were conducted by SolidarityNow in collaboration with the Integration & Support Unit for Unaccompanied Minors of the General Secretariat for Vulnerable Citizens & Institutional Protection, within the framework of the program "INtegration: from Classroom to Classroom".
The trainings were organized with the aim of continuous education and training of the members of the interdisciplinary team of the accommodation centers for unaccompanied minors, in relation to the needs of the target group in education, vocational training, transition to adulthood and access to the labor market. The need for a holistic and interdisciplinary approach to the support of unaccompanied minors determined the content of the workshops, which were based on three axes.
First, a presentation was included concerning the psychosocial empowerment of the target group. In the axis of education, reference was made to educational paths and outlets regarding formal education, but also to learning Greek and teaching Greek as a
second language. In the end, the third thematic axis concerned the Greek labor market for young people and refugees, the conditions of work for minors and the concept of vocational counseling.
A total of 81 professionals participated in the workshops and exchanged knowledge and experiences, trying together with the employees of the Athens Solidarity Center, who undertook the design and execution of the workshops. The result of the workshops was the participation of the beneficiaries of KFAA, EDID and DEFAA in a career day where they gave interviews and received job offers. Many minors attend individual career counseling and orientation sessions until today, after the end of the program. In addition, workshops were held on the empowerment of the minors benefiting from the structures with a central theme of inequalities and challenges in the workplace.
1c) Drop-out survey
Finally, in the framework of the project, targeted field research was conducted by the partner National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA), in collaboration with SolidarityNow, on school dropout factors among students of refugee/migrant profile in the Greek educational system. For the realization of the research, a qualitative research methodology was followed. Specifically, the data collection was done through focus groups, in which children and parents of refugee/migrant profiles participated. A total of sixteen (16) focus groups were held in three (3) Refugee Accommodation Structures in Thiva, Malakasa and Ritsona, as well as in SolidarityNow''s Education and Creative Activities Center in Athens, from February to April 2024.
Access to the survey sample was ensured through SolidarityNow''s educational teams, both within the Refugee Accommodation Facilities and in Athens. Children and parents of refugee/migrant profiles were informed about the objectives of the research and specific meetings with the research team were arranged. The research team that collected the data through the focus groups consisted of three professors from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and three researchers from SolidarityNow.
In total, 77 children with refugee or migrant backgrounds, 38 boys and 39 girls, participated. Seven (7) of them were of Primary School age, 63 of Junior High School age and seven (7) belonged to the age group of Lyceum. Of the children who participated, 20 had dropped out of school completely (26%). It is interesting to note that three of the children who participated were unaccompanied minors of 17 years old. 30 parents, five
(5) men and twenty-five (25) women also participated. Children from fifteen (15) countries participated in the survey, with Afghanistan, Iraq and Egypt being the main countries of origin.
Given that school attendance is one of the main factors for the integration of children with refugee/migrant background into the society of the host country, the lack of official data on school dropout among refugee/migrant pupils combined with the fact that worldwide surveys on refugee education show high rates of early school leaving, make the investigation of drop-out factors in this population particularly important. Apart from understanding the factors that lead students with refugee/migrant background to drop out of school, this research also aimed to highlight the protective factors related to the educational context that can enhance not only their stay in school but also their academic success.
The findings of the research highlighted that school dropout is not the result of a single factor, but of a combination of interacting factors: factors related to the child itself, factors related to the family, factors related to school or systemic factors. In order to address this phenomenon, it is proposed to implement the School as a Whole Approach, in which all members of the school community -principals, teachers, psychologists, social workers, students, families, relevant stakeholders- are involved and act together to create an inclusive learning environment, where all students, regardless of their background, They receive the support they need and have the opportunity to succeed academically.
The project focused on various key areas, including language learning in Greek and English, professional development seminars for frontline professionals (such as teachers and staff working with unaccompanied minors), and conducting field research on school dropout rates among migrant and refugee students. The initiative was well-received by beneficiaries, addressing a critical and immediate need, and it successfully supported 209 individuals in learning Greek and/or English.
Key achievements of the project include:
• 8 language learning classes with 209 participants.
• Training for 81 frontline professionals to better support migrants and refugees.
• Creation of 1 educational manual that included theoretical principles, and the educational materials designed and used during the project.
• Completion and publication of 1 research study on the factors contributing to school dropout rates among refugee/migrant students in the Greek education system.
• Development of 1 project website to disseminate information and resources.
• Publication of 2 press releases to raise awareness and share progress.
• Organization of 1 public event to present the project''s outcomes.