The Increase in Social and Cultural Capital in Areas with a Roma Population

GOOD PRACTICE 78 SLOVENIA - THE INCREASE IN SOCIAL AND CULTURAL CAPITAL IN AREAS WITH A ROMA POPULATION

ACTION TYPE

The primary aim of the project was to create conditions that would allow the members of the Roma community to escape the vicious circle of social exclusion. This circle could only be broken by adequate investments in social and cultural capital in the environments, populated by the members of the respective community. The project highlights education as the most efficient way out. Its objectives were to increase the level of education of the Roma community members and to raise awareness about the significance of education as the fundamental factor in the progress of the community.

LEVEL OF THE GOOD PRACTICE demonstrated

Page 1/26 CONTACT ORGANISATION

Project Coordinator: Institute for Ethnic Studies, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Head of the project: Assoc. Prof. Miran Komac, Ph. D.

Consortium Partners: Educational Research Institute, Geodetic Institute of Slovenia, Roma Academic Club, Association for Developing Voluntary Work Novo mesto, Elementary School Leskovec pri Krškem – Kindergarten, Center for Social Work Trebnje

Page 2/26 THEMES

Roma issues in general, Education, Anti-Gypsyism

KEYWORDS

Inclusion, participation, pre-school, primary school, schooling

DURATION (START/END)

June 2010 / August 2013

IN PROGRESS

Non

SCALE national

CONTEXT

The following project activities had been carried out under the project:

a survey and evaluation of the thus far completed projects and work in the field of Roma education; a spatial and demographic analysis of the environments, populated by the members of Roma community; promotion and implementation of different educational activities for pre-school children and their families; establishment of Roma Educational Incubators in the areas inhabited with Roma population; elementary and secondary level school assistance, and other activities aimed at improving the inclusion of Roma children into the educational process; preparation, organization and implementation of sustainable teacher training, and training of social and other expert workers for the work with Roma children and adolescents; development and implementation of extracurricular programmes and leisure time activities for children, youth and parents in the environments populated by the members of the Roma community; transnational networking and exchange of best practices in the field of Roma education.

Page 3/26 DESCRIPTION

ACTIVITY 1: A survey and an evaluation of the projects in the field of Roma education that have been completed so far.

Project partner: Institute for Ethnic Studies

Several projects for the improvement of the situation of the Roma in Slovenia have been carried out so far. There is, however, no holistic overview, nor a survey about the broad range of projects and other activities that have been carried out so far (both nationally and internationally) for the improvement of the Roma community in Slovenia. Resulting from this, different ministries and foundations, are financing projects with a similar, or even with the same content, while - in some fields of education – there is still a lack of projects. Furthermore there is a deficiency of information about the effects of the particular measures taken and the activities preformed within these projects. In order to further improve the rise of social and cultural capital in Roma settlements, it is important to gain data about practices and activities that have proved efficient in these fields, as well as about those which have not. With a systematic overview and evaluation of the projects carried out so far, as well as of the work done in the field of the education of Roma, the duplication of certain activities could be prevented. We would rather upgrade the past work and at the same time direct the planning of certain activities to the fields that have been overlooked so far.

The mentioned overview was not limited to collecting and reviewing research and project reports, but contains information on the effects of the performed measures as well. This information was collected directly from the respective target population. This way it became clear which measures and activities have had positive results and which have not. The reasons for a greater success of some activities and a minor one of some others are known.

ACTIVITY 2: The elaboration of a spatial and demographic analysis, as well as an estimation of developmental possibilities in the field of school- and preschool-education, as well as cultural and other activities in areas with a Roma population.

The survey and an the evaluation of the projects dealing with different aspects of Roma live, has been published under the title, Gipsy Matters

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Project partners: Institute for Ethnic Studies, Geodetic Institute of Slovenia

Roma settlements are a specific phenomenon in Slovenia. In the past no continuous care was taken of these settlements and their development. It is estimated that there are approximately 10,000 Roma in Slovenia living in around 100 settlements – almost exclusively in the east of the country. All steps undertaken within this activity applied to the entire Roma population, in all parts of Slovenia, and to all settlements where Roma live together. Spatial and demographic analyses of the present situation will help in planning the preschool and school education of Roma children, as well as cultural and other activities, connected to Roma community. Such analyses also provide support for the implementation of the measures aimed at increasing the quality of life and social and cultural capital in areas with a Roma population. This work provided updated, multiple and complex data and analysis of the spatial and demographic structure of the Roma settlements; the same applies to the collection of thematic maps that comes under this heading.

This project activity consists of the following interrelated sections: a) Historical analysis of demographic and spatial development, and an analysis of the current demographic structure of Roma settlements in Slovenia:

In settlements where Roma live, it was necessary to analyse in details, and based on different sources, the present demographic structures of Roma settlements in Slovenia, as well as their historical demographic and spatial development. Based on this demographic and spatial analysis a better understanding of the present development of Roma settlements will be possible, as well as the planning of their future development within the measures of this activity. b) Spatial analysis and thematic mapping of the settling of Roma:

The research elaborates about Roma population that have been created so far, contain only tabular descriptions of Roma settlements. These data are not located in space (except by geographical names) and they are not shown on cartographic material with different scales. The spatial dispersion of Roma settlements and their other characteristics have a direct influence on the possibilities of inclusion of Roma children, adolescents and their parents into the local environment. c) Demographic analysis and thematic mapping of Roma settling:

Most elaborates about the Roma population in Slovenia include only textual and tabular demographic data. These demographic sources are dispersed at different institutions. The data are not located in space (except by geographical names) and they are not shown on cartographic material with different scales. The spatial distribution of Roma settlements and the social background of Roma parents and their children influence directly the possibilities of integrating Roma children, adolescents and parents into the local environment.

Page 5/26 d) Spatial analysis and accessibility of present locations of the educational, cultural and sports premises:

An egalitarian inclusion of the Roma population into the system of education, sports and culture, which helps raising the quality of their life, is not possible without an optimal usage of the capacities and locations of the existing premises. The basic idea is to move as few Roma settlements as possible, to have a minimum of daily migrations and to include as many Roma as possible into the existing programs. Without the knowledge of the above mentioned facts about these objects the planning of activities (e.g. education) is not possible. e) Analysis of real estate, infrastructure and topography of Roma settlements:

The aim of the project is to support the integration of Roma children (and parents) into the local environment, as well as to organize educational, sportive and cultural activities in Roma settlements and in locations, easily reachable for Roma children. Investments into infrastructure, real estate and activities in urban, as well as in rural environment will be necessary. Therefore a precise analysis of the characteristics of Roma settlements at present and of their broader environment had to be established. f) The determination of potential locations for future educational, cultural, sportive and other objects, as well as the estimation of a possible development of the chosen settlements with Roma population

The aim of the project is the determination of locations for different activities of Roma children, in order to include these children into the national educational system. The locations were determined on the basis of all analyses made before.

ACTIVITY 3: Promotion, information and clarification of facts about Roma pre-school education to the public

Project partner: Educational Research Institute

This project activity consisted of the following interrelated sections: a) The importance of knowledge and education:

One of the reasons, why Roma parents mostly do not stimulate their children to study, is the fact that for most of the Roma education does not present an important value. Therefore all educators working on this project were trained to inform parents with every activity, organized on the level of pre-school education, about the importance of knowledge and pre-school education. b) Social justice in education:

Page 6/26 The educators who carried out the planned educational activities were faced with prejudice and stereotypes; therefore it is important that they were able to realize them and to overcome them in an appropriate way. In the process of their training they were therefore sensitized to create an intercultural environment for the specific needs of Roma children. They were also taught how to approach these children and their parents with respect and got to know the strategies of individualized and differentiated approaches to teaching. The used pedagogical approaches based on the needs of these children and on their children’s rights. The educators were given permanent training, since their professional development presents an important precondition to insure a quality education for all students – and so for the Roma.

ACTIVITY 4: Development and implementation of different forms of educational work for pre-school children and their families, as well as children starting school and their families.

Project partner: Educational Research Institute

This project activity consisted of the following interrelated sections: a) Introductory and animation days in kindergartens and schools

The aim of introductory and animation days in kindergartens is to establish connections among different kindergartens and their respective nearby Roma settlements, as well as with families with pre-school children (reaching-out approach). The kindergartens taking part in into this activity, have organized throughout the entire year activities for children and parents, aimed at easing the inclusion of Roma children into institutions of this kind. Programs within this activity have included presentations of the work in kindergartens, personal contact between the kindergartens, parents and children, and trust-building among them. Furthermore, the importance of the work of kindergartens for the further development and success in the lives of the children was explained to parents. Parents were informed about the activities of the kindergartens and they were able to visit them. Parents were visited at home, they were invited to events and workshops for children and parents, children had the chance to borrow toys and books. Furthermore the kindergartens have included educated Roma from the local environment into their presentations, who talked about their experience and expressed the importance of education for the success of the individual. The introductory and animation days in primary schools were meant for parents who will send their children to school. The activities within this event were organized according to a similar principle as those in the kindergartens. All activities organized during these days were available to all local children. b) Kindergarten activities for children who do not go to the kindergarten and their parents

A program for children who did not visit the kindergarten was organized the entire year round in order to prepare them for visiting it in the future. In the kindergartens a program for children, who did not visit the kindergarten

Page 7/26 was organized the entire year around. This program included different kind of workshops in the premises of the kindergartens or other appropriate places in Roma settlements. Parallel to the activities for children, activities empowering the parents in parenting and supporting the children’s development were organized, too. c) Creation and implementation of cultural and linguistic didactic means: three-lingual comics (Carinthian Roma language, Prekmurje Roma language and Slovene)

d) Learning a second language in kindergarten

In the framework of this activity we have trained educators for a multilingual development of children in a multicultural environment in kindergartens.

ACTIVITY 5: Empowerment programs for Roma families at their educational work and the support of the development of children

Project partner: Educational Research Institute

Based on modern scientific findings on the importance of early initiatives for the development of children in endangered families, we have tried to change the domestic environment of babies, toddlers (0-3 years) and pre- school children. The mentioned findings are based on experience and they are adapted for use. They have offered us good examples of how to strengthen the domestic environment of these children. Our work was regularly accompanied by meetings with trained animators who explained the respective activities and their effects on this environment.

ACTIVITY 6: Day centre for Roma Children – Brezje

Project Partner: Association for Developing Voluntary Work Novo mesto

The Day centre for Roma Children Brezje was open every day from Monday to Friday from 1.30 – 5.00 p.m. The aim of this programme was to set up a daily contact between children and the employees of the project, as well as

Page 8/26 to organize different activities for improving the level of human, social and cultural capital and to provide the conditions for the children, in which they can learn to develop positive social contacts.

Aiming at this goal, several social games were organized, as well as creative workshops, dancing and music workshops with an emphasis on Roma culture, social and sportive games, as well as relaxation workshops and group training of four elements. The aim of this programme was a greater integration into the school system, this is why an important part of the programme was aimed at school assistance, helping with homework and learning the Slovene language. There were 48 children regularly included into this programme.

ACTIVITY 7: Day centre for Roma children Šmihel

Project Partner: Association for Developing Voluntary Work Novo mesto

This project activity consisted of the following interrelated sections: a) Inclusion of pre-school children

Due to the fact that pre-school children in the Roma Settlement of Šmihel do not visit the kindergarten, the Association for Developing Voluntary Work Novo mesto established a programme for pre-school children, namely for the second age group (children between 3 and 6 years of age). A programme took place every day from 11.00 am – 1.00 pm and was based on the national curriculum for kindergartens which includes the following activities: moving, language, society, nature and mathematics. b) Integration of primary school children

The first part of the programme (from 1.00 till 2.00 pm.) was devoted to school assistance and assistance with homework, as well as learning the Slovene language. The second part of the programme (from 2.00 till 3.00 pm.) aimed at quality spare time of children, which has increased their cultural, social and human capital. This part included creative workshops, social workshops, sportive and social games, music and dance activities, as well as other supportive activities. c) Integration of parents

Experiences with the integration of Roma parents so far have shown that group activities are not the best way to improve this integration. Therefore in the Roma settlement of Šmihel, primarily individual work with parents was organized. Parents, and especially mothers of the respective children, were visited at their homes once or twice a

Page 9/26 week. The aim of these meetings was not only the building of trust, but as well informing, consulting and enlightening the parents.

ACTIVITY 8: Establishing equal chances for the integration of Roma children into kindergartens: Kindergarten Kerinov grm

Project partner: Elementary School Leskovec pri Krškem – Kindergarten

The Kindergarten of the Elementary School Leskovec pri Krškem has developed and introduced – on the basis of long-time work-experiences with Roma population – a pilot programme for pre-school Roma children and their families. The integration of Roma children into kindergartens in the earliest period of life in the long run establishes a higher self-esteem of Roma children and increases their participation and success in school. The programme in the kindergarten Kerinov grm was implemented according to the methodology “step by step”, taking into account the national curriculum for kindergartens. From the preparative kindergarten the children have been gradually integrated into the regular kindergarten (by the last year before school at latest) and from there into school, where they had more equal chances and better preconditions for a bigger success.

One of the important aspects of this activity was also participation and active inclusion of Roma parents and youth into the programme of the project in cooperation with different organizations (health centre, centre for social care, employment centre and different societies etc.). Roma parents namely only gradually build up trust towards the kindergarten and the educators there. With an everyday routine they were getting used to a regular contact with the kindergarten. In the rooms of a preparative kindergarten in the settlement, parents were included together with their children into everyday activities. Later on and gradually, separate activities for children were organized and separate ones for mothers. In the kitchen, household workshops for mothers and young Roma girls took place. Parents were informed about the importance of education of children and their inclusion into kindergarten from an early period of life on. In workshops parents gained new experience and knowledge about housekeeping and healthy food (cooking, washing, cleaning), baby-care, and education of children, health care, vaccination, contagious diseases, addictions, healthy sex, social aid and possibilities of employment. With different workshops and lectures parents were educated in fields which interest them and which they should improve their general knowledge, with a stress on the development of literacy in the family.

ACTIVITY 9: Offering school assistance on primary and secondary school levels, as well as other activities for the improvement of the integration of Roma children into the educational process.

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Project partner: Institute for Ethnic Studies, Roma Academic Club

The activities consisted mostly of additional educational support to Roma children, encouragement and motivation of particularly talented Roma children to learn and continue their education, and encouraging parents to support them in this. Initially we intended to carry out educational support primarily on an individual basis, at the home of each child or on common premises in a Roma settlement. However, it soon emerged that the number of children in need of such support was high and that in view of this it was better to organise and implement it at group level. Educational support was thus adapted to specific conditions, which means that in some places it was given in pupils’ homes, whilst elsewhere it was organised on shared premises – in the so-called Roma educational incubators – or in school.

Educational support was carried out by individuals who had completed at least secondary school. The project consortium organised training for them, where the foundations of pedagogy, didactics, etc. were taught. Pupils who regularly attended educational support classes showed progress in numerous areas, although not necessarily their school grades. What was improved was their attitude to school and homework; their confidence grew, their knowledge of Slovene improved, as did their graphomotor skills and ability to work in groups. Teachers confirmed that these children came to school better prepared (particularly for written and oral tests) and took a much more active part in the lessons.

ACTIVITY 10: Planning, organization and implementation of trainings for teachers, social workers and other experts for the work with Roma children and youth with an emphasis on practical work experience

The concept of training teachers, social workers and other specialists for this project was established in a slightly different manner. At the sole planning of these trainings we wanted to create an active cooperation between university teachers, researchers and project participants who do practical work (educators and teachers, as well as experts in kindergartens and schools) and the members of the Roma community who present the Roma intelligentsia.

This activity consisted of three consecutive phases: a) During the first phase, teachers and other staff from the partner primary and secondary schools were encouraged to write down their experiences with Roma children in the form of a diary. The content of these

Page 11/26 focused on descriptions of various positive and negative experiences in working with Roma children and youngsters. 22 teachers participated in this activity. b) During the second phase, researches from the Institute for Ethnic Studies, together with an expert in reality therapy, analysed the collected material. The results of the analysis were then used as the basis for a workshop involving the teachers who had kept diaries during the first phase. The discussion at the workshop and after it led to the identification of five main areas where teachers felt there was a need for further training:

• managing disciplinary and behavioural problems in class;

• recognising and dealing with discrimination;

• teaching pupils whose mother tongue is not Slovene;

• intercultural communication;

• communication and relations between pupils and teachers. c) During the last year of the project we organised six seminars/workshops covering the following content:

• management of differences and prevention, management and resolution of crises and conflicts;

• communication in a pluralistic environment: intercultural communication;

• awareness building and discrimination prevention workshop;

• seminar for teachers teaching pupils whose mother tongue is not Slovene;

• seminar for teachers of Slovene with Roma children in their classes;

• relationships workshop;

• supervision.

ACTIVITY 11: The development of creative forms of school assistance for Roma students in the Roma settlement Hudeje.

Project partner: Trebnje Center for Social Work

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The goal of the activities carried out by the Trebnje Social Work Centre was the search for and development of a creative and efficient form of educational support for the Roma children from the settlement of Hudeje attending Trebnje Primary School. We tried to persuade the Roma children (and their parents) that they should come to school more regularly, accept their school obligations and improve their grades. The children and parents first had to meet and accept the person providing educational support, which was initially implemented at the Trebnje Roma educational incubator. With time we realised that the support would achieve greater success if children were taken away from the group and taught individually, since they had problems concentrating. We reached an agreement about educational support on the premises of Trebnje Nursery School (Romano unit), where it took place mostly on an individual basis or sometimes in pairs. After the children told us that they often did not know when they had tests or who their teacher was, that they did not do their homework and about many other problems and deficiencies, it was decided that we would begin by “building a bridge” with the school. The helper providing educational support started off by offering help at the school, where she was well received. The children, teachers and Roma assistants all got used to her and to the latter she also represented a source of information (what was going on in the child’s family), of help (she created a learning sheet with the child; conveyed information to the parents at home, etc.) and vice versa. Our main activity consisted of creative forms of educational support, such as various workshops. We also organised some workshops for the parents of Roma children, as well as working together with school, Trebnje Centre for Education and Culture, students of the Faculty of Social Work (offering them educational base), municipalities and other relevant institutions.

ACTIVITY 12: Development and implementation of extra-curricular programmes and spare-time activities for children and parents in environments, where members of the Roma population live

Project partner: Institute for Ethnic Studies, Roma Academic Club

Roma children and youngsters are rarely included in free-time activities taking place outside their settlements. Within this project we thus offered them a variety of activities that took place mainly in the Roma settlements and contributed to the improvement of the quality of their free time. These activities were planned in such a way that they were interesting and attractive for children of different age groups. They offered company, relaxation, physical activity and learning, since we included various educational contents (e.g. maths, history, geography, Roma culture, ecology). The activities took place outdoors or at Roma educational incubators, and some of them attracted children from neighbouring settlements in addition to the Roma children.

Free time activities were carried out in different ways:

• as year-long extra-mural activities, such as the football school,

Page 13/26 • in the form of workshops (in some places occasionally and in other places once a week) during the school year,

• in the form of workshops lasting a few days (e.g. film and photography workshops) and summer camps during school holidays.

The effects and results of the various extra-mural activities carried out within the scope of the incubators are more difficult to measure as directly and objectively as the effects of educational support, nor can they replace educational support and regular learning, but nonetheless we believe that they contributed to the all-round development of the children, and particularly to increasing their motivation to learn.

Some examples of such activities:

a) Film and photography workshops

Through the organisation of film and photography workshops we enabled children and youngsters from Roma settlements to make good use of their free time during the school holidays. The basic goal was to fill the participants with enthusiasm for artistic creativity in film and photography and train them to work with a camera. But they acquired many other skills through attending these workshops. The workshops (two at a time) took place each summer from 2011 to 2013 in the following six settlements and regions: Van?a vas-Borejci (Prekmurje); Šmihel, Smrekec, Hudeje (all in Dolenjska), Rosalnice-Boriha (Bela krajina), Kerinov Grm (Posavje). They were attended by 140 children.

The workshops were led by two professional film makers and a photographer. The results were presented at exhibitions of selected photographs taken by the young participants in their home settlements. They are also accessible as internet photographic exhibitions on the project website (www.khetanes.si). During every workshop, a short film was also made, which was then screened in the settlements. All the visual works depicted the life of young people in their home environment and their perception of the importance of education.

b) Roma summer camp

Every year during the summer months we held a five-day Roma summer camp at the Prekmuje Roma educational incubator at Van?a vas-Borejci, which was not aimed solely at Roma children. The goal was to offer the children educational and creative content, and the possibility of making good use of their holidays. The summer camps were attended by children from the settlements of Kamenci, Van?a vas-Borejci, Gornji Slave?i, Doli?, Kraš?i and Maribor. Each one had a central theme, to which the various educational-creative and sports activities referred,

Page 14/26 but a common thread was always the Roma culture and language. The children learned about the various cultures of the world, talked about ecology and care of the environment, enjoyed music and film, created models and objects from different materials, learned about children’s rights and languages, took a little exercise in relay games and engaged in many other interesting activities.

c) Educational activities within the framework of the festival of Roma culture Romano ?hon/Roma month

The Roma Academic Club organised various educational activities within the scope of the Romano ?hon/Roma Culture Month festival of Roma culture. In April 2011, during the 3rd Romano ?hon/Roma Culture Month, the educational and creative workshops were particularly lively. They took place at the Prekmurje Roma educational incubators at Van?a vas-Borejci and Kamenci, and at the Murska Sobota Secondary School of Economics, where workshops were carried out during sociology lessons, whilst at Puš?a Nursery School (a branch of Murska Sobota Nursery School) there was a one-week creative camp for children with daily workshops – “A Week of Creating an Intercultural Rainbow”.

In April 2012, the Roma Academic Club enriched the content of the 4th Romano ?hon/Roma Culture Month with educational and other activities for children. In the Pomurje region the festival began with an exhibition of drawings under the heading “Spring Opportunity”, created by a participant in the educational support classes, Franc Cener. His drawings appeared at the Prekmurje Roma educational incubator at Kamenci, during the activities connected with the search for talent and the planned development of the creative potential of Roma children and youngsters. The exhibition was staged at the Lendava Cultural Centre and the Regional and Study Library in Murska Sobota.

At the partner secondary schools (School of Economics in Murska Sobota and Raki?an Health Care School) a lecture and workshop on the theme: “I challenge discrimination” were organised. At the Prekmurje Roma educational incubator at Van?a vas-Borejci there was a dance workshop.

At the 5th Romano ?hon/Roma Culture Month in April 2013, the educational and other activities organised by the the Roma Academic Club for children, youngsters and their parents again made a significant contribution towards the strengthening of intercultural dialogue.

One of the activities of The Festival of Roma culture Romano ?hon and the organizers from Roma Academic Club together with the Head of the Project Dr. Miran Komac

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d) “Football school” extra-mural programme

Football is enjoyed by Roma children and youngsters, so we included in the project a “Football School” which was accessible to all children. Its goal was not only to seek talent, but also to enable the children to experience suitable psycho-physical development and healthy activity. The children learned about values such as hard work, tolerance, camaraderie, confidence and knowledge. They were divided into three age groups: 6 to 8, 9 to 12 and 13 to 15. The activities were not limited to learning football rules (theoretical knowledge) and training: there were also various lectures for the children and their parents that were indirectly related to healthy living, such as a healthy diet for sportsmen, hygiene rules and the harmfulness of drugs, alcohol and smoking.

The programme was implemented by 4 trainers (a school coordinator and initially 3 and later 2 assistants), all members of the Roma community, who had during this time also received additional training and successfully acquired the UEFA A Licence (the coordinator) and C and B Licences (the trainers) that are necessary for high quality work with younger generations. The training was carried out either out in the open, organised by the Prekmurje Roma educational incubator at Van?a vas-Borejci, or in the sports hall of the partner primary school in Tišina. The children appeared at the competition organised by the Murska Sobota Intermunicipal Football Association and achieved good results. They also participated in various tournaments around Slovenia and neighbouring Austria, where they also played well.

Children came from various Roma settlements (Van?a vas-Borejci, Puš?a, Lemerje, Serdica, Ropo?a, Kamenci, Cankova and Perto?a). We must mention that also non-Roma children were included, who regularly came to the settlement together with their parents and forged friendships and contacts with the Roma population. Children’s appearances in competitions were dependent on their school grades, which contributed to their motivation for learning.

e) Newspaper “Projektne novine” (“Project news”)

The basic aim of the project newspaper Projektne novine is to inform the public about on-going activities and results. The newspaper was created by the members of the Roma community and is, in addition to other digital and electronic forms of dissemination of the project activities and results, an important publication that was received by a large proportion of the Roma households. The aim was to encourage Roma pupils and students included in the other project activities to write about their work, impressions and other thoughts on the theme of education.

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ACTIVITY 13: Transnational connections and exchange of experiences with regard to developmental-educational work with the Roma

Project partner: Institute for Ethnic Studies

This project activity consisted of the following interrelated sections:

a) Acquaintance with practices regarding developmental-educational work with the Roma in other selected European countries

We visited three countries – Finland, Hungary and Serbia – which have already established models of Roma education and integration. The position of the Roma in each of these countries is specific, but there are some common problems. We also established a network of experts from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Sweden and Romania, who at a meeting in Ljubljana organised prior to the international conference in October 2011 presented the educational models in their country.

b) Organisation of an international meeting with the goal of exchanging experience and good practice: On 21 October 2011, we organised in Ljubljana the international conference “Formal and Informal Education for the Roma: Different Models and Experience”. At this conference, the staff from the Institute of Ethnic Studies presented the position of the Roma community in Slovenia and the first results of our project. Experts from other European countries talked about the position of the Roma in their countries, focusing on the results of projects and good practices that were significant in the process of integrating the Roma community into the wider society.

The international conference under the title “Formal and nonformal education for Roma: different models and experience” took place on the 21 October 2011 (in Ljubljana).

This monograph contains contributions to the international conference “Formal and Informal Education for Roma: Different Models and Experiences,” held in Ljubljana on October 21, 2011 in the framework of the project The increase in social and cultural capital in areas with a Roma population. At this conference we were presented the aims of the project and the achievements and experiences of its first year in operation; we also compared these

Page 17/26 with the motive impulses of educational policies, and with the results attained in this area, in some other European countries.

c) Creation of an international comparative analysis of practices in developmental-educational work with the Roma: The analysis includes normative provisions, historical background, demographic data and practices in selected countries, development trends and the identification of the key outstanding issues with regard to the education of the Roma. In the selection of examples from various European countries we took into account mainly those which, alongside the priority goal of integration of the Roma community into the majority society, ensure the right to the expression, preservation and promotion of their ethnic identity, as well as a wider understanding of the values of equality in connection with social justice (fighting prejudice, approaching the universal values, respect for cultural and linguistic difference). These issues are also defined as a priority in the developmental programmes adopted by the Republic of Slovenia for the more successful integration of the Roma community. We also included some examples of “bad practice”, i.e. examples of the separation and isolation of Roma and non- Roma children, dealt with by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, and reports from comparable international studies recently carried out in connection with the education and integration of the Roma.

ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTS AVAILABLE

Non

PARTNERS

Civil society, including Roma community, local or regional

DOES THE POLICY RESPOND TO A EU REQUEST AND/OR REFER TO EU DIRECTIVE ?

Non

RESULTS OBTAINED

The project in numbers:

Page 18/26 2010 2011 2012 2013 The inclusion of 11 kindergartens, 12 kindergartens 12 kindergartens 12 kindergartens kindergartens, elementary and secondary schools with 11 primary schools, 15 primary schools 15 primary schools 15 primary schools Roma children (from different Slovenian regions) 4 secondary schools, 4 secondary schools 4 secondary schools 4 secondary schools included in the project activities 1 boarding school 1 boarding school 1 boarding school 1 boarding school The number of Roma 131 1243 1232 1204 children, included in different project activities The number of educators, 28 educators 54 educators 64 educators 52 educators offering school assistance for Roma children and youth The number of different 13 different types of 166 different types of extracurricular activities activities programmes and spare- 158 different types of 321 different types of time activities for children activities activities and parents in areas with Roma population The number of different 2 different types of trainings 13 different types of 8 different types of trainings8 different types of trainings trainings for teachers, trainings social workers and other (2 performed trainings) (22 performed trainings) (22 performed trainings) experts for the work with (23 performed trainings) Roma children and youth with an emphasis on practical work experience The number of teachers, 38 167 134 205 social workers and other experts, included in the training for the work with Roma children and youth. The number of innovative 1 9 10 10 and creative programmes of educational work in areas with Roma population (with special emphasis on pre- school education)

Other important results of the project:

International conference and expert meeting “Formal and Informal Education for Roma: Different Models and Experience” (20 – 22 October 2011);

Page 19/26 Scientific monographs and publications:

Bešter, Romana, Vera Klop?i? in Mojca Medvešek, ur. (2012) Formal and Informal Education for Roma: Different Models and Experience. Ljubljana: Inštitut za narodnostna vprašanja; available at: http://www.khetanes.si/doc/Rezultati/PUBLIKACIJE/Edu%20Roma.pdf

Žagar, Ksenija et al. (2013) Tematski atlas romske poselitve v Sloveniji [Thematic Atlas of Roma Settlements in Slovenia]. Ljubljana: Geodetski inštitut Slovenije. Pirc, Janez (2013) Od skritosti do to?ke na zemljevidu: Socialno-prostorski razvoj izbranih romskih naselij v Sloveniji [From Concealment to a Point on the Map: The Development of Selected Roma Settlements in Slovenia]. Ljubljana: Inštitut za narodnostna vprašanja. Klop?i? Vera in Katalin Munda Hirnök (2013) Izzivi, dileme, rešitve: Izobraževanje Romov v praksi nekaterih držav [Challenges, Dilemmas, Solutions: Education of Roma in Practice of Selected Countries]. Ljubljana: Inštitut za narodnostna vprašanja.

Final research report The Increase in Social and Cultural Capital in Areas with a Roma Population, available at: http://issuu.com/punktone/docs/book_def_high_web?e=0/4395619

Promotional project movie A Step Closer (Korak bližje), available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=zVEi6zOQF9w

LONG-TERM PERSPECTIVES AND SUSTAINABILITY OF THE ACTION

This three-year project was used to test the research hypothesis that turning the Roma settlement into an environment/space, where a considerable number of activities take place, will raise the human, social, and cultural capital, thus contributing to abolishing the “status” of the Roma community as a floating minority. According to the hypothesis, these forms of capital enable the Roma to have greater mobility, employability, and independence. They enable social and spatial de-marginalisation and de-ghettoisation.

How were the above ideas tested in The Increase in Social and Cultural Capital in Areas with a Roma Population project? The basic idea was to make the Roma settlement the focus of the project and establish what are known as Roma Educational Incubators (REI). These were either spaces where educational programmes were implemented, or simply the programmes themselves. If no adequate space was available, the REI project was carried out in the homes of individual Roma families.

Page 20/26 To contribute to the greater inclusion and success of Roma pupils in the education system, Roma educational incubators were established in different regions of Slovenia. In some cases these were organised as spaces (places, buildings) in which specific programmes were developed, in others they were simply programmes implemented in schools or at Roma settlements in the homes of individual pupils. The goals we wished to achieve through these incubators, which were partly based on youth centres, were multi-layered and long-term. The name ‘incubator’ was chosen to emphasise that these were spaces/programmes for the young to grow and develop in different ways, from increasing learning success through informal education to the development of individual interests and the enjoyment of quality free time. Through the focused work and the good example of the educated young people (including from the Roma community) who led the work of the incubators, we wished to encourage children and youngsters to successfully take part in the education process at different levels and parents to play a more active role in the education of their children. Through the activities of the incubators we also hoped, indirectly, to promote dialogue among local people. In the incubators, children gained experience of group dynamics and interaction, working in small groups, making public appearances and, importantly, leadership; they also developed a sense of responsibility. The results show that long-term inclusion and active participation of children in incubators contribute to an increase in their social and cultural capital.

The programme consisted of providing educational support to Roma children, free-time workshops for children and parents, and sports. In the Roma settlement of Van?a Vas, a football school was established and attended by both Roma and non-Roma children. The football school was run by the Roma and the coaches were UEFA- licensed members of the Roma minority.

Wherever possible, Roma with at least secondary education were included in the programme. Ten Roma Educational Incubators were set up in different parts of Slovenia: the Prekmurje REI in Van?a Vas-Borejci (in the municipality of Tišina), the Prekmurje REI in Kamenci (in the municipality of ?renšovci), the Bela Krajina REI (Lokve and Boriha); the Trebnje REI (Hudeje), the Novo Mesto REI (Šmihel and Žabjek), the Krško REI (Kerinov Grm), the Željne REI, and the Grosuplje REI (Smrekec).

With the establishment of the REIs, the Roma gained premises to improve their level of education, skills, and individual competences. Providing educational support to children resulted in a better learning outcome for the Roma pupils involved. The instructors (Roma themselves) were given a suitable degree of responsibility, which enhanced their self-esteem. All these are elements that contribute to increasing human capital.

As regards methodology, the project put an end to the practice of taking Roma out of the Roma settlements, bringing them to settlements inhabited by the majority population, and implementing activities in settlements with a prevailing majority population. Following the new ideological concept of the project, we invited experts, opinion leaders, pupils, and students of the majority nation to come to the Roma settlements. It should be pointed

Page 21/26 out that all activities had been carried out with active participation of Roma people, inhabitants of the settlements.

It can be concluded that by bringing members of the majority nation (instructors, preschool teachers, football school students) into Roma settlements, we opened new ways to generate (increase) social capital. Synchronous activities throughout the Roma settlement territory in Slovenia and tolerant collaboration between the Roma minority and the majority nation contributed to the awareness that the Roma are indeed a classic ethnic minority.

The implementation of the project directly within the living territory of the Roma showed that in addition to building municipal infrastructure, spatial plans involving areas inhabited by the Roma would need to focus on the construction of premises that contribute to enhancing the community: multipurpose halls with child care facilities, Roma councillor offices, social worker offices, community meeting halls, etc. Likewise, it will be necessary to design public spaces, e.g. for crafts, with a particular emphasis on disposal facilities for secondary raw materials.

The project revealed that a key driver for moving the Roma minority from the margins of Slovene society was to provide the constitutive elements of an autochthonous ethnic community: settlements that constitute what is known as an ethnically mixed area by combining individual areas. Considering the uncontrolled development of Roma settlements in the past, in the light of preserving the viability of the territory, more efforts will need to be devoted to such issue, within a multi-disciplinary collaboration of anthropologists, geographers, building contractors, architects, and landscape architects.

Following the project team suggestions on the mapping of local Roma settlements, the local authorities of the Municipality of Trebnje has approved (accepted) the decision to construct (form) the new village. The Roma settlement has now its own territory and its own name – Vejer. The project team idea can be seen on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEjIDaVq46Y (12.3.2014)

The three-year research project confirmed the hypothesis that turning the Roma settlement into an environment/space where a considerable number of activities take place will increase the human, social, and cultural capital. Based on three years of research activities, it may be concluded that our assumptions were correct.

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To contribute to the greater inclusion and success of Roma pupils in the education system, Roma educational incubators were established in different regions of Slovenia. In some cases these were organised as spaces (places, buildings) in which specific programmes were developed, in others they were simply programmes implemented in schools or at Roma settlements in the homes of individual pupils. The goals we wished to achieve through these incubators, which were partly based on youth centres, were multi-layered and long-term. The name ‘incubator’ was chosen to emphasise that these were spaces/programmes for the young to grow and develop in different ways, from increasing learning success through informal education to the development of individual interests and the enjoyment of quality free time. Through the focused work and the good example of the educated young people (including from the Roma community) who led the work of the incubators, we wished to encourage children and youngsters to successfully take part in the education process at different levels and parents to play a more active role in the education of their children. Through the activities of the incubators we also hoped, indirectly, to promote dialogue among local people. In the incubators, children gained experience of group dynamics and interaction, working in small groups, making public appearances and, importantly, leadership; they also developed a sense of responsibility. The results show that long-term inclusion and active participation of children in incubators contribute to an increase in their social and cultural capital.

With the establishment of the REIs, the Roma gained premises to improve their level of education, skills, and

Page 23/26 individual competences. Providing educational support to children resulted in a better learning outcome for the Roma pupils involved. The instructors (Roma themselves) were given a suitable degree of responsibility, which enhanced their self-esteem. All these are elements that contribute to increasing human capital.

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ACTION VALIDATED AS A GOOD PRACTICE BY

European Commission: http://www.khetanes.si/sl-si/News/88 (11.3.2014)

DIFFUSION RESOURCES

Website

INTERNET http://www.khetanes.si (information on this website is available in English and Slovenian)

ACTION TYPE

COE Good Practices and Policies http://goodpracticeroma.ppa.coe.int/

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