Deviszont and Social Fiber have built a partnership to develop critical thinking and civic education for disadvantaged Roma and non-Roma youth in Hungary and Romania, and to provide methodologies for youth workers working with them. Therefore the organisations wanted to develop a critical pedagogical methodology by learning from each other's methods, to develop good practices and session plans that are suitable for developing social skills and addressing social issues. Both organisations will test the jointly developed methodology in their own youth community for one school year and share the results with youth workers. The aim of the organisations was to create a safe, democratic community for young people to develop their skills and commitment to democratic values. The goal was to hold sessions that would improve young people's systemic thinking by addressing social issues and promote the social participation of those in marginalized groups. The results will be summarised in methodological and good practice handbooks, which will be disseminated through forums for youth workers, providing professionals with tools to raise young people's interest in social issues.
The Hungarian and Romanian education systems do not prepare students from disadvantaged backgrounds for the challenges of the 21st century, nor do they develop the critical thinking skills needed for active citizenship. Deviszont and Social Fiber aim to support these young people and the youth workers who work with them. The organisations have experienced a lack of self-confidence and exclusion because of their backgrounds, and they need safe spaces where they can develop their social skills in a community. The organisations' surveys show that young people find school boring, value non-formal, experiential learning, and are interested in subjects related to their identity and social sciences. It is therefore necessary to create opportunities for them to learn about social issues that concern them in an informal setting, developing their critical thinking and cognitive skills. We also found that youth workers often feel ill-equipped to work with disadvantaged young people. The development of a critical pedagogical approach promotes the social participation of young people from marginalised backgrounds and provides youth workers with tools, thus contributing to social change.