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Description
The project was initiated by the schools from the communes of Sauca, Doba, Moftinu Mic, Pir and Vetis, Satu Mare County, in an attempt to respond to the growing needs for change that schools in Romania are currently going through. The 5 partners decided that Sauca Gymnasium School should become the coordinator of the consortium due to its experience in implementing projects with European funds. The partner schools have a wide representation of the Roma minority. At present, Roma children are undergoing an extensive process of discrimination, which is deepening due to the pandemic situation and the economic crisis that accompanies it. In this context, the number of children who do not attend school increases, extreme poverty, lack of parental support or even the absence of parents in children''s lives leading to increased feelings of alienation and non-belonging. The main objective of the project is to reduce the feeling of discrimination and increase the level of social and school inclusion through an innovative approach to the learning process and by carrying out extracurricular activities in support of students.
The long-term results are a reduction in discrimination against Roma students in participating schools, an increase in the level of school inclusion of these children, changes in school and community perceptions of the Roma minority, an increase in school acceptance of Roma children, a reduction in school dropout and active participation. in school life.
Summary of project results
The project "School for all, all for School!" was implemented by the Sauca Secondary School in 6 schools (including its own school) from poor rural communities, with a Roma population of over 20%, in Satu Mare county. Due to parents'' migration and poverty, children become vulnerable to discrimination and the school dropout rate is high. The teachers feel overwhelmed by the situation in the classroom, the traditional methods of education no longer work and they cannot build an effective relationship with their students. Parents do not have time to get involved in their children''s education either because they are away working abroad, or because they are illiterate and in extreme poverty. All these are realities that the partner schools face every day.
The project addresses problems regarding discrimination and reducing this feeling among the students participating in the project. It aims at increasing the level of social and school inclusion through an innovative learning process approach and by carrying out extracurricular activities in support of students and parents.
We tried through this project, first of all, to show the students that the school can be different, one where all the students are happy; we gave the teachers the opportunity to learn and experience new teaching methods, and to work in a more democratic school by training school principals, as well; we gave the parents the opportunity to learn how to better understand their children through parenting education courses and therapeutic stories. Within the project, school teachers were trained on student-centred teaching and by the European Wergeland Centre''s facilitators on inclusive and multicultural schools, children rights, democracy and whole. school approach. Seven intellectual outputs for school teachers were elaborated: Inclusion and Multiculturality, Best Practices Guide - Success Stories, Guide of Involved Parent - Awareness Rising Guide, Educational Projects, Childhood Games, Museum of Ethnicities, Children Rights - The Path to Inclusion. Roma and Non-Roma parents participated in experiential learning activities on discrimination, tolerance, social inclusion, children rights, and took part in the Metamorphoses narrative therapy jointly with their children. Roma and Non-Roma school children participated in active citizenship, school inclusion, multiculturality workshops. Meetings with Role Models from the Roma and other vulnerable communities were organised for the school children.
Following the implementation of the project:
- 60 teachers participated in 2 trainings, one provided by the European Wergeland Center and one by the Satu Mare County Center for Education Resources.
- 200 students participated in activities to raise awareness and develop skills regarding inclusion, organized jointly for Roma and non-Roma students.
- 70 parents participated in learning/awareness activities regarding the anti-discrimination issue, jointly organized for Roma and non-Roma parents;
- 19 types of activities (in-service trainings, extracurricular activities) were carried out during the 16 months of implementation with teachers, parents and children from the partner schools.
The intellectual outputs:
- 2 available school curricula were finalized and proposed to participating schools and the general public,
- 5 innovative didactic materials created during the implementation of the project were made available on the project website.
The reduction of the discrimination feeling of Roma students in the participating schools, the increase in the level of school inclusion of these children, changes in perception at the school and community level towards the Roma minority, the increase of school acceptance level of Roma children, the reduction of school dropout and active participation in life were identified in the partner schools through the applied evaluation questionnaires but also through discussions with the participants.
Changes have been observed in the behaviour of Roma and non-Roma children at school, the reduction of discrimination and the increase of the degree of inclusion, and in the long term, we hope that the project will have a multiplier effect in the communities whose schools are partners in the project and hopefully in Satu Mare county in terms of learning experiences, inclusion, multiculturalism and anti-discrimination. Among its benefits are the new skills acquired by teachers, the possibility of applying experiential learning techniques adapted to a more democratic school and a set of values and personal experiences acquired by parents and children who participated in the activities.
A meeting between Roma children and parents and one Roma international trainer (the European Wergeland Centre) was attended by 20 children and 20 parents.