Avas Khetane

Intro

The ‘Avas Khetane - Get Together’ project is an international collaboration on the field of education. The inter-sectoral partnership consists of three civil society organizations from Eastern-Europe engaged in education, social work and/or advocacy and two primary schools. The strategic partnership is financed by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union.

Association Co-Efficient and its partners have a wide range of experience/expertise of involvement young people with fewer opportunities into local and international actions/learning experiences. Inclusion of young people with fewer opportunities is a main horizontal objective of our daily work, offering regular community and development services in our Afterschool service at Gyöngyös.

Early school leaving (ESL) is a significant issue in Europe, especially in Hungary and Romania, affecting marginalized Roma youth living in poverty and facing double discrimination. Studies by project partners (LEADNFL 2015-17 and Loose Ends 2020-21) highlighted ESL's adverse effects. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated these issues as marginalized youth struggled with the digital curriculum, highlighting a deeper problem of mismatched institutional expectations and support. The 'Avas Khetane - Get Together' project sought to address this through a paradigm shift, creating a long-term methodology that utilizes art and experiential learning.

Tailored with individual development plans, it aimed to support young people at risk of ESL, combining youth worker and teacher expertise in a cross-sectoral approach involving primary schools and grassroots human service providers. The partnership focused on gathering best practices, developing and piloting the methodology with 30 young people, and disseminating the results through intellectual outputs.

We aimed for a paradigm shift by developing a long-term structural methodology using art and experimental learning as a tool, tailor-made with individual development plans for the needs of young people with fewer opportunities, endangered by ESL. The project combines the expertise of youth workers and teachers, as it is cross-sectoral involving primary schools a grassroot human service providers engaged in youth work.

The partnership involved in this project gathered the best practices, developed a methodology, and documented the experience and lessons learned in an approx. 300-page book.

Our project aim to

• Reduce school drop-outs of young people living in extreme poverty, who are excluded from digital education and are most negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. We bring together the public education and the youth sectors, by using music and creativity.
• Develop and test a methodology that can be used by the pedagogy and the youth work. The project also aims to initiate an intersectoral dialogue and we would like an effective dissemination of the results.

Activities of the project

• Kick-off in Hungary - a three-day event to launch the project, followed by two days of travel.
• Four subsequent Transnational meetings (TMs) are scheduled for major milestones.
• The methodology handbook was designed and tested by a cross-sectoral and multinational team of experts.
• Dissemination: the Hungarian, Romanian, and Macedonian partners organised national conferences to share the project results, and an international conference was held to mainstream the results for a wider European audience

The activities planned in the project contributed to the identified priorities by the following ways:

Activities of the project

• We gathered existing good practices using artistic and non-formal learning tools.
• We developed methodologies of programs that develops social and intercultural competencies and strengthens the learning motivation, which included weekly organized group sessions outside of the school, but covered by the mentoring of the public education and aims to make continue the school for young people aged of 13-14, affected by the risk of ESL.
• The methodology developed by the cross-sectoral team was tested in Romania and Hungary. A development plans were prepared for the young people. The parents were be also involved in the process.
• We documented the results by an evaluation system developed during the compilation of the methodology. Instead of the test-based summative evaluation, we focused on formative assessment, which is subjective but aims to improve through the feedbacks. Beside the formative evaluation, we incorporate self-directed learning methods.
• We summarized the experiences accumulated over one-year during each pilot period, the methodology created during the project and its results is available below
• We have disseminated the publication in a wide range in the participating countries and at European level through dissemination events.

The Avas Khetane Book

Avas Khetane – Get Together!
Published by: Együttható Egyesület - Association Co-Efficient
Editor-in-Chief: Drs. Melinda Szentpétery-Nagy, Teaching Assistant, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University Budapest Hungary; Bárczi Gusztáv Faculty of Special Needs Education

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21862/avaskhetane2023

Authors
Hungary
Drs. Melinda Szentpétery-Nagy, Teaching Assistant, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University Budapest Hungary; Bárczi Gusztáv Faculty of Special Needs Education, Együttható Egyesület
Csaba Rostás, Harmónia Egyesület
Hajnalka Oroszi, Gyöngyösi Egressy Béni Két Tanítási Nyelvű Általános Iskola
Dorottya Gajdárné Tomcsányi, Gyöngyösi Egressy Béni Két Tanítási Nyelvű Általános Iskola
Viktória Lakatos, Gyöngyösi Egressy Béni Két Tanítási Nyelvű Általános Iskola

North Macedonia
Emilija Panovska, RROMA
Daniela Janevska, RROMA
Mustafa Jakupov, ERGO Network

Romania
Adriana Adela Apopi, Şcoala Gimnazială Constantin Daicoviciu
Grebeldinger Daniel, Nevo Parudimos Association, ERGO Network
Carmen Cîrpaci, Nevo Parudimos Association
Laura Minea, Nevo Parudimos Association
Sebastian Kradyel, Nevo Parudimos Association
Verona Diana Calin, Colegiul Național “Traian Lalescu”

Abstract
The "Avas Khetane - Get Together!" project, supported by Erasmus+, focuses on using art and experiential learning to empower disadvantaged youth in Hungary, Romania, and North Macedonia. By combining the expertise of youth workers, teachers, and after-school mentors, the project sought to develop innovative educational methodologies that help students at risk of early school leaving. The project aimed to support personal growth, Roma identity, and academic success among marginalised youth, particularly those from segregated Roma communities, through individualised development plans, social-emotional learning, and inclusive community-building strategies. The publication includes theoretical backgrounds, practical tools, and insights from partner organisations that were instrumental in delivering the project's aims.

Overview
This publication provides a comprehensive analysis of the project's methodology and impact, highlighting the collaboration between the partner organisations in Hungary, Romania, and North Macedonia. The project aims to reduce early school leaving through a combination of art-based youth work, experiential learning, and a person-centred approach. It emphasises prevention strategies and social-emotional learning to support inclusive education and empower disadvantaged youth. The chapters outline the theoretical frameworks that guided the project, including inclusive pedagogy, the philosophy of empowerment, and non-formal education. Each chapter also introduces unique local challenges, strategies, and perspectives from the partner organisations.

Key Topics Covered
Art in Pedagogy and Youth Work: Exploring how art-based activities enhance personal development, social-emotional learning, and cultural awareness.
Young People with Fewer Opportunities: Examining the socioeconomic challenges faced by marginalised youth, particularly those in Roma communities, and strategies to break the cycle of poverty.
Inclusive Pedagogy: Highlighting inclusive educational practices that promote equity, empowerment, and social justice.
Developmental Cycle in Practice: Sharing approaches to recruiting disadvantaged youth, creating individualised development plans, and using digital tools to aid learning.
Roles of Traditional and Non-Traditional Teachers: Evaluating the shift in educational roles from traditional teaching to mentoring and coaching with a focus on self-directed learning.
Toolbox and Methodology: Providing practical tools for working with disadvantaged youth, including a code of ethics, session templates, and assessment guides.
Project Experiences and Insights: Reflecting on the successes and challenges of the "Avas Khetane" project and insights gained in Roma inclusion efforts.

The "Avas Khetane" project offers educators, youth workers, and policymakers practical methodologies and a realistic path forward for inclusive and equitable education.

The book is available for free.

The original language of the publication is English. The book is translated to Romanian and Hungarian. Hardcopies might still be available, reach out using our contact.

Partnership

Együttható was founded by social professionals, and enthusiastic young volunteers in 2010 to promote non-formal learning, innovative community services and a new way of thinking in youth and social work. It operates a youth information office in the 4th district of Budapest and an afterschool located in Gyöngyös. Inclusion of young people living with disabilities is an important objective at Hatáspont Tanoda - more than 20% of enrolled students are living with disabilites, including Autism Spectrum Disorder. Apart from individual tutoring and applying special pedagogy, non-formal education is a key method in developing soft-skills of our students.

RROMA is a youth-led organizaton that works on empowerment and mobilization of young Roma through creative methods and campaigning in order for them to become active citizens and positive role models in their communities. RROMA works on the personal development of young Roma through non-formal education, also on the advocacy of young Roma to remain enrolled in the process of education. RROMA is active in the North-eastern region of the Republic of Macedonia.

Nevo Parudimos Association is a nonprofit apolitical organization which was founded by a group of teachers, Roma activists and Roma students from Caras-Severin county, in the south-west of Romania in 2008. The aim of the Nevo Parudimos association is to decrease the economic, social, educational and cultural differences in the society. The organization is recognized in disadvantaged and Roma people’s inclusion projects. Nevo Parudimos is the first NGO promoting in Romania the CLLD principles and the bottom up approach in planning and developing local development programs and since 4 years we make lobby and support local people to have a voice in order to be equal partners in the decision making process at local level.

Contact us

Questions? Feel free to contact us!
National coordinators of the project:

Elemér Szentpétery, Együttható Egyesület, Hungary, info@egyutthato.eu
Urmeta Arifovska, RROMA, North-Macedonia, info@rromassn.org
Laura Minea, Nevo Parudimos, Romania, nevoparudimos@yahoo.com

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