Step by step
Project owner: eduRoma - Roma Education Project
Responsible person: Laura Kösziklová
2021
2,000 Euro Prize
SK
Civil Society / Social Economy
Poverty
Education
Diversity
Step by step (“O krok pokrok”) is a cultural and educational programme founded by Roma and pro-Roma activists from eduRoma during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the eduRoma "How to stay close at distance" survey, up to 70% of Roma pupils did not attend online distance learning courses, and 60% did not have contact with their teachers during the pandemic.
Step by step provides tutoring and mentoring to Roma children to ensure their long-term educational success during the pandemic. Step by step provides training for teachers and social workers. We share our experience with state institutions to improve legislative and systematic measures.
We assist 80 students from Roma communities, ages 6 to 16 years old. 12 mentors tutor and encourage these young students. Teachers and the children’s parents are also involved in the programme. We also conduct public outreach on inequalities affecting the Roma community through the project’s media coverage.
We work with children from Roma communities, as well as their mentors and teachers from cooperating schools. Step by step aims to ensure long-term educational success for Roma children, reduce anti-Roma prejudices and racism. Our programmes also strengthen interpersonal relationships and eliminate segregation.
We are currently implementing the programme in 6 municipalities in the Prešov region. In April 2021, we will invite the city of Snina to join Step by step. We will also create a programme network and fully implement the project in other regions of Slovakia.
Roma pupils are supported with their schoolwork by mentors in small tutoring groups in cooperation with their respective schools. This assistance prevents the current pandemic from causing these young pupils to fall further behind at school. A quick and courageous decision: Face to Face - Support to keep up with distance learning! Romani courses for teachers help overcome language barriers. The programme also works in an educational ministerial working group against the segregation of Roma ensures structural anchoring. Step by Step is a socially innovative intervention based on a pilot study on distance learning for Roma children.
