The realization of the first cycle coincided with the exam period, which is why a lot had to be realized on the fly:
“And we succeeded in it. Although I combined group and individual work, we achieved the results quickly, I would say especially thanks to the individual work with the students. Somewhere we just needed to upgrade, and somewhere we had to build some knowledge and habits, and that was easier through individual work,” said Professor Todor Lakić, summarizing the results of the first phase.
His key recommendation, just like with students, is that this program should follow the beginning of the academic year in the future.
“Thats opens up the possibility to work more thoroughly and better with these great young people and to get even better quality support”.
The REF project, which is financed with the support of EU funds, is implemented by the Association of Parents and Help.
Merima Dubović (16), attends high school in Berane – majoring in hairdressing. However, now she is already thinking about continuing her education later on – first the fourth year of high school, and then maybe even enrolling in studies.
The hairdressing trade is important to her, it gives her security, but after she went through the REF program to support the education of young Roma women, her horizons broadened significantly. The tutors and mentors, engaged within the group and individual support, were very motivating and helped her, as well as other participants, to look at the organization of time for study and practice in a different way, but also how to think about the future. He is looking forward to the continuation of the program and the opportunity to exchange opinions with others.
She is currently focused son the school year that has just started, and the future is ahead of her, so she will decide what to do next. Getting support in the schooling process is very important to her.
Her mentor insists on supporting young Roma women within the program.
Lidija Vulević is a mentor of Roma high school students from Berane, and she believes that projects, such as REF’s, to support the education of the RE population, especially if they are carried out in continuity, are very important for supporting young people and the Roma population, who usually have worse starting positions than children from the majority.
As she says, in addition to the children, she also knew their parents for long time, which made the work and trust easier.
“There were two boys and two girls in my group, and in three months we managed to achieve a lot. The children integrated very well – they took all the training and practice they went through seriously – they understood that it was for their own good. There were also challenges, not with them, but because of the entrenched discrimination in our society, but we overcame it together.”
This, as well as the previous experience, made the mentor Vulević point out that, when it comes to the education of young Roma, emphasis and efforts should be especially invested in the education of girls from this community.
“My key recommendation is – within the program, a special focus should be on supporting the education of young Roma women”.
And Ibrahim Dubović (17), a young man from Berane, wants to become a professional hairdresser, which is why he enrolled in the program as a high school student. Last year, he also participated in some competitions and was awarded, which confirmed to him that the talent is there. For the future, in addition to talent, serious work is also needed.
This year, tutors and mentors, hired for group and individual support, helped him through the program to support the education of young Roma/Roma women from pre-school education to studies, which is financed by the European Union through the REF, and implemented by Uduženje Roditelja and Help.
“With this craft in my hands – which I love and trays to working seriously, I can achieve a lot – they additionally convinced me of it and were very important as a support in the past few months. I hope that the support will continue in the future” – says the hard-working and communicative Ibrahim, who, in addition to attending regular schooling, works all the time to gain practice and improve his skills.
Continuing of his education is also in focus, because, he believes, his horizons will be opened and broadened – further from his native Berane.
Not just youngsters, in addition to children, pupils and students, parents were also involved in the program.
Elizabeta Beriša, is an RE mediator for employment and also is a mother of three children, so she was a participant in the workshops for supporting the education of children from the Roma population – parts for parents.
According to her, the experience was fantastic, the lecturer was exceptional and very accessible. She received so many useful tips for improving communication with her children that, according to her, she now spends significantly more time with her children and most importantly with better quality of time.
An important feedback – her older daughter is so pleased with the improvement in their mother-daughter relationship that she sent the trainer a small gift as a sign of gratitude.
“We really need more workshops like this on a regular basis,” recommends Elizabeta.
The work of the first cycle was monitored by a Working Group established of representatives from relevant state institutions like ministries, centers for social work, RE NGOs sector and different local institutions. After the ending of the first phase, three recommendations were sent to the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation (MPNI), which participates in the Working Group with as many as two members, as well as the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights.
At the end of the first phase of the project, according to Help’s project coordinator Anna Molnar, it can be said that the project has made significant progress in improving access to quality in the early and basic education for Roma children and strengthening inclusive practices in education.
“The activities included workshops for 101 Roma children, 54 of them preschool and 47 school children, as well as 10 parents.Trainings were organized for teachers, pedagogical workers and tutors and mentors in three cities (Nikšić, Podgorica, Berane) with a total of 37 participants. The “Caring Families” program actively involved 20 mothers through parenting support group sessions. Three equipped playrooms were established and additional workshops were organized for the development of digital skills and gardening. Through 51 home visits and information sessions, 14 children were enrolled in the first grade of primary school”.
Lepa Žunjić from the Parents Association emphasizes that the results are key and she noted the following:
- 101 Roma children (62 girls, 39 boys) participated in development workshops and school preparation programs.
- 47 school children attended 6 workshops focused on digital skills, ecology and social-emotional development.
- 54 preschool children and 10 parents participated in 6 age-appropriate workshops.
- 2 trainings for facilitators and 3 trainings for kindergarten and school staff were held, contributing to the inclusiveness of education.
- The “Caring Families” program motivated active parenting, increasing the involvement of families in the educational process.
- Playgrounds provide a safe place to play and conditions for additional development of children.
The projects through which we implement the support program are financed by the EU, and implemented by REF (Roma Education Fund), with partners from the Parents Association and Help within the project “EU Regional Action for Roma Education: Increased Support for Education and Opportunities for Roma Students in the Western Balkans and Turkey (RARE), Phase II.”
