September 2011 – The Alternative Education Club

Project Name:	The Alternative Education Club
Financer:	Roma Education Club
Partners:	Policy Center for Roma and Minorities
Implementation time frame:	September 2011 – September 2012
Budget:	53892 EUR
Objectives:	Creating an innovative, creative and safe educational environment for Roma and nonRoma children from the ghetto of Ferentari, inside the elementary school no. 136, meant to address the learning and development needs of these children. Creating a mentorship and counseling program for the Roma and non-Roma children from the ghetto community (Aleea Livezilor, Ferentari – Bucharest) Improving school attendance, academic performance and graduation rates among the Roma and non-Roma children from the afore-mentioned community Facilitating training sessions for teachers in the elementary school no. 136 regarding nonformal education methods
Results:	Developing the Alternative Education Club (AEC) – an innovative space – in the elementary school no. 136 in order to improve life abilities and academic performance among 40 Roma and non-Roma students, through sports, creative, cultural and artistic activities Implementing a mentorship and counseling program for 20 Roma and non-Roma students Workshops with teachers regarding non-formal education methods addressed to children from vulnerable communities Organizing an educational camp for 20 Roma and non-Roma children from the community The school attendance rate increased 3 times for the target group in comparison to the control group According to teachers, discipline and behavior among the children who attend the activities in the AEC, has improved significantly (71% of the children from the target group were not involved in violent confrontations with other students, comparing to 50% of the children from the control group who were involved in such incidents) Improving self-esteem, team-work, communication and developing future perspectives are some of the achievements of the children who actively attend the activities in the AEC 40 Roma and non-Roma children had the possibility to discover and improve talents and artistic skills The Alternative Education Club was appreciated on a national and international level and was awarded the following: UNICEF award (offered b Beyond Sport, UK), Dan Manoleli award for Civil Society Development (offered by The Civil Society Gala Foundation), the Annual Award for Human Rights (offered by the French Embassy in Romania).