Loose Ends – Mapping the roots of youth marginalization in the underclass Erasmus Project

Project Title

Loose Ends – Mapping the roots of youth marginalization in the underclass

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 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Disabilities – special needs; Early School Leaving / combating failure in education; Access for disadvantaged

Project Summary

As evidenced by several studies and reports Roma children are overrepresented in lower social stratas, are more vulnerable regarding early school leaving (ESL) and often children of Roma families find themselves in segregated educational institutions.

Our project is a follow up of the research conducted by Együttható Egyesület and Nevo Parudimos in the frames of the LEADNFL project mapping ESL patterns in segregated communities and is aiming to collect and analyse data in a very specific way of segregation: educating Roma children with special needs in special schools. Althought in most of the cases the diagnosis justifying special education is valid, the socio-economic reasons behind an underperforming child are not taken into consideration. Attention-deficit or intellectual disabilities might well be the results of lacking access to healthcare and early childhood development, while the lack of social capital and financial resources may result in families lacking access to existing support structures in the later stages of development (i.e. specific development, youth services, labour market services, etc). The lack of access results in the circle of poverty and marginalisation on an even larger level, as the individual is stigmatized both because of ethnicity and because of disability.

Our 24 months long project aim to

-understand the reasons, associated life-paths and the consequences of education in such institutions by condicting, analysing and publishing 20 in-depth interviews/country involing stakeholders
-formulate policy reform recommendations by an expert panel, on the grounds of our findings addressed at national and European decision makers, highlighting the importance of secondary support structures in the form of youth organizations and their toolkits
-raising awareness on the issue amongst representatives, professionals and decision-makers of the sectors of formal education, secondary youth services, child protection structures, government administration

Activities of the project

-5 transnational meetings
-Intellectual output 1 – analysis of 25 in-depth interviews in 3 countries, in country language, aggregated summary publication in EN (not direct translation, is a shorter version of all 3 studies)
-Intellectual output 2 – policy recommendation by expert panel, 1/ country + 1 on European level
-4 Conferences in Hungary, North-Macedonia and Romania – involving more than 250 relevant stakeholders
-Lobby meeting in Brussels as closing event involving EU officials
-wide dissemination activities

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 104497 Eur

Project Coordinator

EGYUTTHATO KOZOSSEGEPITO EGYESULET & Country: HU

Project Partners

• ZDRUZENJE REGIONALNA ROMSKA OBRAZOVNA MLADINSKA ASOCIJACIJA KRATOVO
• ASOCIATIA NEVO PARUDIMOS