Romodrom for Education
The Romodrom project for education was funded by the European Social Fund, through the Operational Programme Education for Competitiveness and the State Budget of the Czech Republic.
The Romodrom project for education helped children living in socially excluded areas.
The Romodrom civic association responded to the increasing needs of its clients by offering them a comprehensive program for the academic success of their children. The Romodrom project for education, reg. no. CZ.1.07/1.2.00/14.0110 funded by the OPVK ESF and the state budget of the Czech Republic, was implemented from 1.4.2010 to 31.3.2013. The total eligible expenditure of the project is 20,172,968.80 CZK.
The aim of the project was to implement a comprehensive program for children and youth that responds to their specific educational needs in the Olomouc and Moravian-Silesian regions, thereby preventing their premature departure from the education system and enabling them to return. Key project activities included tutoring (direct support of students by field educational assistants - TPA), TPA work with the target group (mainly creating, monitoring, evaluating the child's educational plans, working with the child's family, involving the child in peer motivational programs, etc.), peer motivational group (interactive work with children in age cohorts on education-related topics and preparation for future life). Furthermore, during the project, professional publications were created (work methodology with CS, standards, analysis of the needs of children from different socio-cultural backgrounds), and TPA worked with the family and close ones (comprehensive cooperation with the child's family, especially in supporting the child's educational activities).
The project built on the Romodrom program for regions. Field social workers of the Romodrom association operated in various socially excluded areas, where they addressed their clients' difficult life situations and helped them find a way out of often very challenging life circumstances. They still faced problems related to the children from these families, whether in connection with school attendance or insufficient preschool readiness. This often leads to their enrollment in special schools. Since parents often struggle with many existential problems and no longer have time for regular school preparation for their children, special workers visited these areas as support, dedicating themselves to children in all areas related to academic success.
"The target group of the project were children and youth of school age from 7 to 18 years, mainly living in socially excluded Roma communities. The project also focused on working with their parents and other close individuals. The key innovation in the project was the introduction of a new position, a field educational assistant. The project included educational activities, development and evaluation of professional methodology, and the creation of a program for working with peer groups. The project integrated proven measures and practices leading to the achievement of the main project goal, which was primarily individual work with children and youth and work in their natural environment," added the head of the Romodrom education program, Mgr. Petra Zahradníková. The project aimed to reach children and youth at risk of early dropout from the educational process and offer assistance to those who had already left prematurely. It sought to enhance children's motivation for education through individual collaboration with field educational assistants based on each child's individual educational and motivational plan. The project employed 8 field educational assistants and two regional coordinators, with assistants working in the Olomouc and Moravian-Silesian regions. Each assistant was responsible for 15 children. As the project lasted until the end of March 2013, it impacted approximately 500 children overall. Various cities such as Bohumín, Karviná, Orlová, and villages and towns in the Prostějov region were included in the project implementation. After reaching the capacity of field educational assistants and establishing regular meetings of peer groups, the project in the long term focused on influencing children and their families in terms of understanding education as a prerequisite for successful entry into the labor market and improved competitiveness, as well as reducing negative factors that demotivate children when deciding to stay in the educational process. Project Romodrom for Education, reg. no. CZ.1.07/1.2.00/14.0110, funded by the ESF and the state budget of the Czech Republic, was implemented from April 1, 2010, to March 31, 2013."