Projects / Every student could be a winner

  The project is a two-year initiative, supported by the Trust for social achievement. The Trust for Social Achievement (TSA) is a nonprofit organization, whose mission is to break the poverty cycle by promoting opportunities that help Bulgaria’s most disadvantaged citizens achieve educational and economic success. TSA supports programs that, with integrity, scalability, and transparency, boost the long-term achievement of Bulgaria’s poorest, with a focus on the Roma.

It is aimed at preventing dropout of Roma children in compulsory schooling age. Project activities are also intended to solve the problem of the large number of absences, low grades in school, the relatively small percentage of Roma students continuing their education in secondary schools (high schools) and high school graduates, lack of participation of Roma parents in school life and school structures management. The project steps on the rich experience of Amalipe for the introduction of "Ethnic Folklore - Roma folklore" and the program reducing dropout of Roma children from school, which was implemented within a 3 – year period in over than 170 schools throughout Bulgaria.

The project aims to achieve the following main objectives:

Further development and expansion of the network of schools working on the project "Every student could be a winner " - Center "Amalipe" believes that every student is good at something. So we all - parents and teachers need to help each one to find what is good at and how to be the best performer in his/her field and further develop his/her knowledge and skills. Once discovering his/her skills, the student can - easily make the transition from what he is best at to the rest in which society wants him/her to be excellent.

Support school teams through small grants;

Monitor and evaluate the impact of the program in terms of reducing the school dropout;

Testing of a new working model in 10 pilot schools with increased intervention by the regional coordinator of the center "Amalipe";

Strengthens the elements:

- Working with students - organizing training for capacity building of the student parliament, campaigning for continuing education with youth clubs, created within the project " Youth is tolerance";

- Working with parents - Increasing the capacity of the parent clubs, trainings for chairmen of the parent clubs, "Parents teach parents" - training in areas held by the heads of the parent clubs, involve parents in the activities of small grants;

- Working with teachers - increasing the capacity of teachers, using the model "Learning through sharing experience", organizing conferences in the municipalities, conducting online training to work in a multicultural environment; teacher training EPA " Ethnic Folklore - Roma Folklore" , conducting national conference;

Providing methodological support and educational tools to attract the interest of Roma children and parents in the learning process;

Empowering Roma parents and their involvement in their children’s school life;

Systematic change and tangible improvements in the quality of education for Roma children: The model for recruitment and retention of Roma children in school will be expanded in the second year of the project. Advocacy and informative campaigns will be organized to ensure the institutionalization and sustainability of this model.

The project also provides activities for the formation of a favorable social environment and for changing public opinion to support the quality of education and educational integration of Roma children. Dozens of schools will be supported with small grants to stimulate their active retention of Roma students and the allocation of resources and their school budgets. Extracurricular initiatives to increase students’ interest and activity in schools will be organized ( eg, Green Schools , Children Roma Festival " Open Heart " ) . A number of new materials in the field of intercultural education and manuals to improve the work of the parent clubs and school parliaments will be printed and distributed.

More information on: www.romaeducation.com

www.socialachievement.org