Fundación Secretariado Gitano

The involvement of the Roma families in the educational process of their children has been found to be critical. However, it is often lacking in many educational programmes and should therefore be included as a key element in order to improve the formal educational process of Roma children. “Roma parents are an asset in the education of their children. They want the best for their children, just as any other parent. We only need to understand each other and create relations based on trust between educators, families and educational institutions”, assures Belén Sánchez-Rubio, Director of International Programmes of the Fundación Secretariado Gitano, project leader.

Hosted by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), the final conference of the “Roma Families Get Involved project” gathered representatives of national and EU institutions, international organisations, NGOs, researchers, experts and other relevant actors with grassroots experience in this field. Participants reflected on and exchanged views on the issues related to Roma families, the main challenges in achieving their involvement for the education of their children, as well as the role of public and private actors at local, national and European levels.

The institutional presentations were carried out by Ákos Topolánszky (European Economic and Social Committee), Frank Pierobon (DG Education and Culture, European Commission), Costel Bercus (Roma Education Fund), Belén Sánchez-Rubio (Fundación Secretariado Gitano), and included a special video message sent by Lívia Járóka (Member of the European Parliament). All speakers underlined the relevance of this theme and the usefulness of the Project, and notably the guide to work with Roma families elaborated, for many relevant actors in different contexts.

A practical guide to work with Roma families

The event also featured the presentation of the methodological “Guide for working with Roma Families towards achieving the success of their children at school. A transnational methodological proposal for professionals”, developed in the context of the project, which aims to provide guidance for professionals working on the ground to involve Roma families in the educational processes of their children.

The involvement of Roma families is essential to succeed in increasing the academic achievements of young Roma. However, most socio-educational interventions with Roma children lack an integrated approach that takes into account the social and family context and many professionals working with Roma families consider they do not have the knowledge and skills to reach the families effectively. By disseminating this guide the partners of the project aim to share a useful tool with other stakeholders working in the field of education of Roma children as a needed step towards successful programmes.

The guide thus aims to contribute to improving the educational situation of Roma children throughout Europe through the promotion of a greater involvement of Roma mothers and fathers. The guide has been published in English, Bulgarian, Hungarian, Romanian and Spanish, and addresses aspects such as phases of intervention, strategies, key messages, overcoming obstacles, examples of good practice and a description of the profile of professionals, among others. It was very well received by the various actors attending the conference.

Further information

Meeting agenda: RomaFamiliesGetInvolvedConference_FinalProgramme

Meeting presentations:

• Setting the context: The role of Roma families in the educational process of their children- Zorica Trikic, expert in education and Roma, International Step by Step Association (ISSA) RomaFamiliesGetInvolvedConference_Zorica Trikic
• Presentation of the Transnational “Guide for Working with Roma Families towards Achieving the Success of their Children in School. A transnational methodological proposal for professionals”- Mónica Chamorro and Belén Sánchez-Rubio, Fundación Secretariado Gitano (FSG) RomaFamiliesGetInvolvedConference_PresentationGuide
• Family intervention in programmes for Roma Inclusion/education in Member States: State of play and examples of experiences in Romania- Adrian Marin, Fundatia Secretariatul Romilor (FSR) RomaFamiliesGetInvolvedConference_NationalExperienceRomania

Guide for Working with Roma Families towards Achieving the Success of their Children in School. A transnational methodological proposal for professionals:
available in English, Bulgarian, Hungarian, Romanian and Spanish at http://romafamiliesgetinvolved.org/outcomes/

Press release: EuropeanConferenceWorkingwithRomaFamilies_Pressrelease

For further information on the event or the Guide, please contact romafamiliesgetinvolved@gitanos.org