Youths 4 Youths – Peer learning against Early School Leaving Erasmus Project

Project Title

Youths 4 Youths – Peer learning against Early School Leaving

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for youth

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2014

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Creativity and culture; Early School Leaving / combating failure in education

Project Summary

The main aim of the “Youth 4 Youth” Peer learning against Early School Leaving” project is to contribute to the reduction of early school leaving (ESL), especially amongst socially disadvantaged youth. We did so by offering alternative tools – forum theatre methodology (FT) and community reporter (CR) methodology – and the combination of FT and CR.

In the EU ESL is a key problem. According to the EU definition, ESLers are young people between the ages of 18 and 24 who have failed to complete their secondary education. In 2009, more than six million young people across Europe – 14.4% of the 18-24 age groups – ended their school education system with a lower secondary qualification or less. Even more worrying is the 17.4% who only completed primary education (Eurostat, 2010). According to statistics from 2012 in the partner countries:in France 11,6%, in Hungary 11,5%, in Italy 17,6%, in Spain 24,9% and in the United Kingdom 13,5% of the youth were ESLers. With the exception of Hungary where ESL rates increased by 1% between 2010 and 2012 – which is a very slight improvement – statistics proves that the effort required in all the countries represented in this project to improve the situation.

In previous projects we examined the factors that affect ESL are the following:individual (psychological), social (structural), relational (intra-school) and institutional (educational system). Some of these are susceptible to local interventions. We have chosen to work with FT and CR method since they can have impact on the first and third of these factors.

Our partnership aimed to contribute to decrease ESL by involving youngsters from youth centers, in CR and FT workshops where young people worked hand in hand with their facilitators, took active part in developing actions to raise awareness, participated in developing teaching/learning material to support youth workers and teachers and other youth, so that these too could build awareness and address problems related to ESL. In order to mobilize their peers, our young participants took actions in schools and other institutions, presenting the results of our work and inviting the public for an open debate (Multiplier Events).

Targets:
Direct targets are socially disadvantaged youngsters between the age of 13-20, as well as youth workers. Indirect targets are other teachers, stakeholders, educational experts and decision makers, parents, who are affected by the project and can be the key of the change on the long run in their environments.

Activities/results:
-developed 9 interactive Video Lessons on ESL with youngsters during CR and FT workshops in 4 languages (ES, HU, IT, UK)
-organized 18 Peer Actions in the partner countries when youngsters raise awareness and start dialogue with their peers and other concerned targets.
-developed a Video Blog where youth workers, teachers, professionals, youngsters and students can learn about ESL, our methods and processes
-created a Case Study Book to tell about what our participants think about the school system and show the impact of our methods

Methods:
-FT method
-CR method
– the combination of FT and CR
-Peer to peer learning

The partner organisations:
-Artemisszió Fundation – coordiator organisation; experience in FT
-People’s Vocie Media – experience in CR, the creator of the method
-La Xixa Teatre – experience in FT
-Consorzio ABN – experience in CR
-Elan Interculturel – experience in FT and leading the assessment
All organisation has experience in working with disadvantaged young people.

Impact:
-On participating youngsters: changing attitudes, gaining self-confidence and reflect on their own behaviour. Development of competencies, communication, creativity and self-expression skills, individual and group work, conflict resolution, intercultural competencies and problem solving. The methods we use have a direct impact on motivation, discipline problems, youngster-adult relations, youngster-peer relations,intercultural problems and conflicts.
-On participating professionals: awareness raising, getting educational tools to handle ESL issues in youth centers and classrooms, exchanging professional experiences on ESL, gaining new pedagogical and intercultural skills
-On indirect targets: awareness raising on ESL, getting tutorials about our methods.
We believe that in the long run our project can contribute to the reduction of ESL, especially amongst socially disadvantaged youth. We encourage the dialogue among the concerned parties – youngsters, parents, professionals and decision-makers by providing a combination of new methods and tools. We think that with this dialogue we can successfully improve the situation concerning ESL in the partner countries.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 172682,45 Eur

Project Coordinator

ARTEMISSZIO ALAPITVANY & Country: HU

Project Partners

• Consorzio abn a&b network sociale
• Elan Interculturel
• Associacio La Xixa Teatre
• PEOPLE S VOICE MEDIA LBG