Solution Story // Implementation Journey Ampelokipi-Menemeni

The municipality of Ampelokipi-Menemeni, within the city of Thessaloniki, Greece, has had a focus on working with a specific community in the city as part of the Stay Tuned project. This is a Roma community, with a high level of very early school drop-out coupled with a range of social and economic problems, including poverty and health challenges.

Ampelokipi-Menemeni’s Solution Story

01. WHAT WAS THE STARTING POINT?

Magda Rousetti is responsible for the many areas that are within a municipality’s education department of the municipality of concern and that are their responsibility to Ampelokipi-Menemeni. One of the priorities address, from unemployment to poverty to for the municipality (and for the national the local economy. government in Greece) is the reduction of school drop-outs and Early Leaving from The particular challenge for Ampelokipi- Education and Training (ELET). Menemeni in terms of ELET is the high level of school drop-out within one of the city’s Roma But as with all Greek municipalities, Magda’s communities, Aghios Nektarios, within the role does not include the remit to get involved Menemeni district. in school teaching and the curriculum. The content and structure of the school day is This is one of the areas within the Stay Tuned effectively “off-limits” for the municipality network where a city is truly dealing with early and they must not interfere with these “drop-out” from school, rather than just a aspects or do work within the school. failure to attain upper secondary level qualifications – children in this community As a result, officials in corresponding positions (girls in particular) will often drop out from have typically discounted their being able to school in their very early teenage years or influence ELET and have left this exclusively to earlier. the schools. However, ELET negatively affects

02. WHAT WERE THEY WORKING TO IMPLEMENT?

A team from across the municipality, was school drop-out and improving educational working on the subject including Magda success. Rousseti (Director of Social Protection, The team were also establishing a new Education, Athletics & Culture), Katerina Community Centre within the Ag. Nektarios Paschalidou (Director of the Department for community. The community centre function is Social Policy), Athanasios Papageorgiou part of a national network and programme, (General Secretariat), Anastasia Dimoka and co-funded by the EU. Fotini Pantoulari (from the Department for developing, organization, programming and However, the team had an opportunity to European programmes). define precisely what expertise they wanted to have within this service and to made a bid The team were working on a range of actions for specific additional functions to be to address the challenges within the Aghios included. They took this opportunity to tailor Nektarios community in relation to reducing the support offer to the needs of the specific community within Ag. Nektarios.

Key Policy Themes for Ampelokipi-Menemeni: Target Groups Career Guidance Informal Learning and Schools as Communities 2

Ampelokipi-Menemeni’s Solution Story

03. WHAT WERE THE CHALLENGES AND BARRIERS TO IMPLEMENTATION?

The biggest barriers the team have always what is really going on within the district and faced with implementing the measures to what the specific problems are. support this particular community is that, whilst they can offer the right services for Overall, the fact that the municipality doesn’t supporting Roma people, the specific culture have jurisdiction over the educational and within the Roma community means that there schooling activities themselves (and is not can be resistance to real engagement: a lack allowed to interfere) they are restricted to of participation at an individual level and a working outside the classroom. Education relatively low view of education in general. policy and curriculum, teaching etc. is the Education is not a priority, so the support on domain of the national Ministry. offer is very often not taken up. This presents a challenge on local level – the Another challenge was that much of the team need to provide activities and support support on offer has typically been provided that fits in with the local school context, but well outside the local area. The “second whilst only being able to adjust one side of chance school” for example was several that equation. This requires close kilometres away, with was limited public collaboration with schools and school transport options for potential students to directors, who often have different priorities reach the school. If they did enrol, the and pressures placed on them. distance and the cost of daily travel were an ongoing disincentive to continue attending. Consequently, the municipality staff are often Students required ongoing support to remain seen as a outsiders, particularly in the district in the education system. This wasn’t a of Aghios Nektarios. This in turn means those sustainable situation. in the community are less trusting and therefore less likely to engage positively with So, whilst a lot of support was theoretically the support on offer. This completes a cycle of available, it wasn’t well targeted and not challenging circumstances, whereby the root always very accessible to those in the of the social challenges are essentially the community who needed it. same issues as the implementation challenges: the difficulties in getting the The municipality have never been able to community to engage are the cause of the employ people within the community initial problems and also make structures and hence have always relied on implementation of (good) interventions much the school directors and school functions to more difficult. provide intelligence and understanding about

Key Implementation Challenges for Ampelokipi-Menemeni: IC2 – Stakeholder Engagement IC1 – Maintaining an Integrated Approach

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Ampelokipi-Menemeni’s Solution Story

04. WHAT WAS THEIR DELIVERY APPROACH? HOW DID THEY TACKLE THE BARRIERS?

When the team managed to get the As the Roma Department of the Community community centre established within the Ag. Centre is based within the district, the staff Nektarios community, this provided a major was seen less and less as “outsiders”. This opportunity to take a different approach to helped them gain the trust of the community. engaging with those most at risk (or those From that point, it was much easier to with most potential to gain from being approach them. That was a great advantage as supported). the educational specialist could start to work with them and “nudge” them towards Suddenly, they had people working day-to- (re)engaging with education. day in the community, on the ground. They were interacting directly with people from One lever used by the team was that of the within the community, rather than going “Social Solidarity Allowance” – the state through proxies (where messages may get support money received by those on a low (or distorted or watered-down). Prior to that no) income. However, in Greece there is a point, there was much less first-hand condition that people can only receive this evidence of the challenges: the team had allowance if they have completed compulsory been aware of the general problems, but they school. Close working with the community didn’t have specific data or hands-on made it obvious that being able to get this observations to back that up. It was largely allowance was important to many of them – anecdotal. so this was used as an incentive ; a “carrot”… Stay engaged in education and you can secure Soon, Vasso Vatali (the educational specialist your future allowance. who had meanwhile joined the team) and colleagues were working directly with the Re-engaging with education was a big step for community. A much more nuanced picture of many in this community. But the reward of the local people and the problems they accessing the Allowance was clear and experienced was starting to build. The team tangible and, most importantly, did not could therefore start to create a better idea of require a change of mindset to be an exactly what support might be needed and incentive. what would work best. Because many of the community don’t value Gaining an understanding of the people they education, encouraging them to stay in were trying to support was crucial. The team education just to be become better educated were able to collect more data about the is not a motivation. But encouraging them to situation and the challenges that existed stay in education and complete compulsory within the community. The employees of the school to access the Allowance… that was a Community Centre were able to start to use motivation for them. This was without them their knowledge of their local situations and having to become inherently interested in context to help encourage and support them education in its own right. to take steps to support themselves.

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Ampelokipi-Menemeni’s Solution Story

Then, having engaged someone with through the (pre-existing) adults education education, going to the second chance school programme for the retrospective acquisition to gradually became more normal for them, of Primary School Certification. more routine. After that, it was easier to gently encourage the next step: “have you However, the team also realised that to be thought beyond school? What job might you successful in their studies, the children like? What about higher school or vocational needed support from their parents. Very school? Have you thought what you could often the parents could not do this because do?” etc. the parents themselves could not read and write. They had never completed their own Once back in the education system, talking education. The opportunity for parents to about their future (and the place of education engage with the “second chance school” or in that future) became easier. They were remedial education programmes and to gain studying with others who were in the their own primary school certificate was a way education system. They were amongst peers, to help a family to re-engage with education some of whom were also thinking about their together. future. That sounds obvious, but at home in their community, thinking about education As we know that parental engagement and and their future was not normal and not support is one of the biggest predeterminants encouraged. of educational success, this approach was an obvious response in some ways, but There were few people to discuss that with. challenging to implement in the Roma But now it seemed more possible for them. It context. is a small thing, but significant on the path to changing their future for themselves. However, the relationship the staff of the community centre were building within the This re-engagement with education normally community enabled them to start engaging went via three actions. First, the remedial people in this process – to convince them and teaching programme for students; second, to help them enrol in the second chance cooperation with the “second chance school” school and to gain their compulsory education and Night School for adults; and third, accreditation.

Key Implementation Themes for Ampelokipi-Menemeni: Open Working and Stakeholder Involvement Conditions for Implementation Leadership of change

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Ampelokipi-Menemeni’s Solution Story

05. WHAT WORKED? AND WHAT DIDN’T? During the implementation process the team implemented elsewhere might work better or noticed that they finally achieved a good level differently, but in the specific conditions of cooperation with the general population present in the Ag. Nektarios district, a and the local stakeholder team. Working from different approach to implementation is “within” the community was essential to required. success in this area. A specific example of this is the remedial The team also successfully strengthened teaching at high school level. The team set up existing relationships with the school two programmes for this – one within Ag. directors. This facilitated the communication Nektarios and one at a different location in and thus became essential for the the wider Menemeni district. The offer and municipality to plan and set up support the structure of the two programmes were activities and programmes that fitted around essentially the same. The subjects and content the main school day and curriculum, without would be tailored to the enrolled students in interfering with them. By working closely with both cases. The same teachers were schools, the team found it gradually became employed in both schools. The difference was easier to develop a more productive the context. relationship, one that helped to remove some of the structural barriers and enable a When invited to the first meeting about dialogue with the schools to seek mutually enrolment in the Mememeni school, over 20 beneficial solutions. students attended, all accompanied by their parents. There was a very positive Another strength was the creation of a strong atmosphere and the parents we appreciative team inside the municipality, with good that this support was being offered to their political support. The team developed a children. By contrast, at the same meeting for strong working relationship that made it the Ag. Nektarios school, only two students quicker and easier to respond to challenges turned up. Neither were with their parents. and connect with the other stakeholders. This is a simple but stark example of how the Unfortunately, the team still feel they didn’t team needed to adapt their approach to the get good participation by Roma in general in delivery of their projects, based on the the remedial teaching – improvements have context. Or, where possible, also adjust the been made but still it’s not the level of change local conditions to be more favourable. The they were hoping for. More needs to be done. community centre was a mechanism for doing As one of the team states, “maybe we both of these things. expected too much; maybe starting with just a few people engaging is enough to begin On the one hand, for the example of remedial with…”. This is an important point, as lasting teaching, it enabled the programme to be change, especially with this kind of topic, does offered in a different way, being presented as not happen overnight. There are generational something that is part of the community; on behaviours to shift and that takes times. the other hand, the work of the community centre was changing the local conditions, In that way, the team’s approach is a strong making the offer of remedial teaching more example of understanding and working with interesting and acceptable to the local people. the conditions for implementation when Understanding the conditions requires trying to get new projects and policies insights and data. Adjusting the conditions working effectively. The same measures requires local collaboration with stakeholders.

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Ampelokipi-Menemeni’s Solution Story

Maybe we expected too much; maybe, starting with just a few people engaging is enough to begin with…

06. WHAT DID THEY LEARN?

The team knew beforehand that working from The importance of the role of parents is also within the community was a key element, but now much clearer to them. Particularly, that now they have a clear idea of what that means the parents being involved with education too in practice. It’s easy enough to say, “we will also helps children to be more involved. There work in a bottom-up, community-led way” but is better mutual support and understanding the practicalities of how you do that are not and a shift in values to be more positive always so straightforward. towards education.

The team have used the community centre to Consequently, the team realised that engage more directly with the local citizens supporting parents to access remedial adult and develop a different credibility with them. education and the second chance school will The team are not viewed with suspicion or as mean that they are being active in the outsiders and this put them in a different education system and more likely to support position, where they could now support and their own children to stay or re-enrol in influence people much more effectively. school.

The power of this direct contact also wasn’t As the team observed, the new generation of fully understood beforehand. People in the parents have slightly different views on Ag. Nektarios community had previously education to their parents. They are not as always worked through their community hostile towards it as the previous generation. leaders to make contact with the municipality. That, combined with now having key City staff rarely had much direct contact with education support services available within the specific people they were supporting as the community means that these newer this was often brokered by community families can be engaged more easily through leaders. the community centre and are more likely to participate in school, because it is less Now, the team understand the local people abnormal to them and the facilities for much better as well as their needs, challenges remedial school being nearby makes it much and their priorities, hopes and dreams. This easier for them to attend. There are fewer improved understanding is critical for barriers and challenges that might make them designing and implementing future support drop-out again. programmes.

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Ampelokipi-Menemeni’s Solution Story

The team realise they need to harness this affect educational success (but not necessarily slight softening of attitudes to help further being the people who intervene directly in all nudging of behaviour. cases). They are seeing other opportunities for combating ELET more generally. Working The team have also realised the different role on their projects alongside the Stay Tuned that the municipality can take in supporting network of cities has given them new ideas education success – becoming a broker in the and new insights into how they could work process; linking together all the aspects that locally.

07. WHAT DID THEY CHANGE AS A RESULT?

The community centre being established in We are improving the methodology and tools the municipality, along with a physical Roma so we can implement stronger actions in the department based in the area, has helped the future.” team to change the whole dynamic of the work of the municipality in the community. The team say that the community now feel For the first time, people from the community that more included in the whole policy of the are dealing directly with people from the municipality. It’s not just the number of municipality; they are accessing help and support for themselves. employees and the roles, but also who they are; they understand the full range of needs of Previously, such contact with the municipality the people they are working with and have the was channelled through community leaders, skills and experience to support them. meaning communication was more constricted. The community centre being part Testament to this are the local second chance of the community is making support more schools. Having applied to Ministry to get the accessible and empowering local citizens. second chance schools established in the One of the team members points out , “We within community itself, this is now set up and had some employees in the neighbourhood running in the afternoon in the local school years ago, but without a strong relationship buildings. with the community. Now we have eight people working there; there’s an immediate Having community centre support within the connection with the community – we can municipality fundamentally changes the relate much more to them (and they to us). They can state their problems and needs and conditions for implementing future measures. we have a much more clear understanding of The attitudes of the population are changing – these.” they see the community centre as a team who are there to help them and more and more Another team member adds that, “we are they are going to the team to seek out that becoming a stronger broker in the whole support for themselves. education process. Before that we didn’t have that strength. We are becoming facilitators.

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Ampelokipi-Menemeni’s Solution Story

Now we have eight people working there; there’s an immediate connection with the community –we can relate much more to them and they to us…

08. WHAT DIFFERENCE HAS IT MADE?

The new Department of the second chance school and high school, and on to getting a school was established in the community in job. The fact the educational offer is now the 2017/2018 academic year. They now have within the community, in the local schools 45 students from the district enrolled for the makes a huge difference. Take-up is better as current academic year, compared to just 15 a result. Greater prospects come with that. two years ago. 65 parents are studying to get Activating a few people starts to set a primary level accreditation and people the different tone for the community and their community centre has supported are now expectations. They are small steps, but securing jobs. All these people, in themselves, significant. act as role models and champions for staying in education and for enabling a new path for In terms of the teams, their approach to their lives. implementation is also developing. Using the Community Centre as a key enabler, they are Having the second chance school now on site taking new approaches to working with the within the community also makes it much community and making their projects a easier for the team to lay out a potential path success. Again, these are early stages but the for people – from obtaining primary education path ahead looks promising. as an adult, through to a local second chance

09. WHAT DO THEY PLAN TO CHANGE IN THE FUTURE?

For the future, they are hoping to get the The community centre served to build the second chance school made permanent. It engagement with the community and set was set up as a pilot by the education ministry, different expectations for the future. There is but the evidence is now building a strong case already a gradual shift in mindset and culture, to have it formally established. helped by the growing trust in the community centre staff.

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Ampelokipi-Menemeni’s Solution Story

The team plans to deepen even more the maybe that is the first step to build on, not a working relationships with the schools, talking reason to stop the programme. Real and more directly with teachers, not just the lasting change takes time. It is rarely a ‘quick school directors. Like the community centre win’. staff, the teachers are more connected to the people and the challenges and therefore are The project in general, working on the in the best position to influence and support challenges in a network of other cities, has people. helped them to see that it is possible to influence the wider ELET problems. Prior to There is still an ongoing challenge around the Stay Tuned, the municipality only focussed on levels of engagement of the community. under 18 school drop-outs. Now they are When comparing the response to the seeing for the first time that they have remedial school offer to children and families potential ways to influence the 18-25 age in the wider Menemeni district, the group as well – not just tackling primary and engagement, enrolment and continuation secondary school drop-outs. This is pretty rate was much better outside the Roma unique for a Greek municipality. district of Ag. Nektarios. But while the team were disappointed with initial the take-up The team are leading the way by looking to from the Roma community, their reflections tackle true ELET in their city, boosting the were also that maybe their expectations were frequency of qualification in all young people in fact too high. They did get engagement, and in Ampelokipi-Menemeni.

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