| Name of the project | Action for Roma Engagement, Entrepreneurship, Employment and Empowerment – ACT4ROM |
| Agreement number | 619254 |
| The coordinator | Medunarodno udruzenje “Interaktivne otvorene skole” Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| Partners | UG Pomoc deci, Beograd, Srbija Pertnere per Femijet, Tirana, Albania Skola Dokoran – WIDE OPEN SCHOOL n.o., Slovakia |
| Impelementation period | 24 months, starting from 23/10/2020 |
| Short description of the project | The youth unemployment rates in the Western Balkans (WB) countries make over 50% (double to overall population unemployment rates, or 5 times the EU youth unemployment rate). The number of NEETS is also double the EU average. Given that Partner Countries involved in this project (Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) and Albania) are among economically most underprivileged parts of Europe, there are the highest numbers of young people in risk of poverty and social exclusion (according to Eurostat). Simultaneously, Media literacy Index report by EuPI on 35 European countries in 2019 shows that B&H and Albania are at the very bottom of the list in terms of population’s resilience to fake news, biased, prejudiced reporting and commenting in media, (the 32nd and 33th position). The EU Communication and Report on the evaluation of the EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies up to 2020, from 2018, states that Roma perception is that in employment and discrimination pillars the situation has even worsened over the last decade. “AntiGypsism” has increased per both the report and surveys in B&H and Albania. As the EU Youth Strategy 2019-2027 points out, the strategy should be to engage, connect and empower young people in order to achieve: inclusive societies, mental health and wellbeing, quality employment for all, quality learning and space and participation for all. These topics are especially relevant to B&H and Albania on their way to EU accession. The best strategy for combating the above mentioned problems has proven to be the involvement of young people in an experiential learning process which has shown to evoke a higher interest in the learner, offering opportunities for them to make their own discoveries, triggering a critical questioning process (e.g. “Conscious Noticing: Anti-bias from Policy to Practice”, Colette Murray, 2017). Slovak and Serbian partners have been implementing very successful the unique concept of integrated social and financial education in different forms. As it proves to be a successful methodology, it will be used for the development of the program for youth including Roma throughout the Balkans, Europe and globally. Hence, the overall aim of the project is to introduce and enhance an innovative model of learning based on exchanges between Program (Slovakia and Serbia) and Partner Countries (B&H and Albania), learning mobility and cooperation between youth CSOs and non-formal education providers and joint actions of Roma and non-Roma young people. |
| The specific objectives | O1. To design relevant innovative and flexible learning models aimed at acquiring/improving social and employability skills of young people, especially Roma O2. To raise capacities of youth CSOs and provide them with tools necessary for delivery of a new form of training based on non-formal flexible learning methods, learning mobility, virtual cooperation and OER O3. To launch, test and implement new practical training schemes based on learning mobility aimed at improving participants’ level of competences and fostering their active participation in society O4. To strengthen the influence of youth CSOs in advocating for validation and recognition of competences acquired through non-formal learning. |
| Website of the project | ACT4ROM – Action for Roma Engagement, Entrepreneurship, Employment and Empowerment (ioskole.net) |
| Facebook page of the project |