By implementing the RA 2.0 project, the partnership achieved the following objectives: • To provide skills and competences to adult trainers, teachers, and Roma workers in education process and to tackle early school leaving and low educational capacity in children of minorities. • To capitalize the existing European experience in the process of providing of counseling services to marginalized people. • To adapt the existing knowledge into an innovative training curriculum. • To introduce reliable and effective mentoring methodology aiming at supporting Romani youth and children in the educational process and career guidance. • To upgrade the existing skills of social workers, counselors, and trainers in the field of Romani support services. • To develop a mentoring programme for Roma youngsters, based on the best practices and experiences of the partners. • To train mentors and mentees in the skills and competencies needed for the mentoring process. • To implement the mentoring programme in the local contexts of the partners, involving Roma youngsters and their families, schools, and communities. • To evaluate the impact and results of the mentoring programme on the educational and social outcomes of the Roma youngsters.
The early school leaving situation among Roma youngsters is a serious and complex problem that affects their educational and social outcomes. According to the data from the FRA, the early school leaving rate among Roma youngsters in the EU was 68% in 2016, which is much higher than the EU average of 10.7%. This means that more than 2/3 of Roma youngsters do not complete upper secondary education, which is the minimum level required for accessing the labor market and further education. One of the ways to tackle the early school leaving situation among Roma youngsters is to implement mentoring programmes that involve Roma role models and mentors who can inspire and motivate Roma youngsters to pursue their educational and personal goals, as well as to foster their integration and participation in the school and community. The Romani ambassadors in education process are Roma people who have successfully completed their education and who act as role models and mentors for other Roma youngsters who face challenges and difficulties in accessing and completing quality education. The Romani ambassadors aim to inspire and motivate Roma children and youth to pursue their educational and personal goals, as well as to foster their integration.