Achieving Success through Peer-to-peer Inclusive Vocational Education for Roma Students

ASPIRE4R
EU Programme: Erasmus+ KA2 Small-scale partnerships VET
Reference: 2023-1-SI01-KA210-VET-000153030
Start date: 01/10/2023
End date: 30/09/2025

The project aims to create an impactful influence by highlighting Roma student and volunteer stories as “role models” to encourage VET enrolment after primary school for Roma students. ASPIRE4R fosters exchanges of experiences, including pilot peer support implementations and face-to-face learning.

In line with VET goals, ASIPE4R seeks to improve employability, decrease absenteeism, and customise peer assistance to better match education to the demands of the labour market. Through developing a reproducible peer support model, it further promotes innovation in VET by encouraging inclusion of marginalised communities in addition to Roma people.

In ASIPE4R, “inclusion and diversity in education, training, youth, and sport” is deeply embedded as the main priority. The initiative serves as a model for fostering cultural diversity and inclusion in a variety of educational contexts by developing a peer support model, exchanging best practices, and enhancing volunteer capacity.

Objectives

To set up and test a peer support model for Roma students enrolled in VET building best practices (creating videos – storytelling by Roma students and volunteers) to serve as “role models” to motivate other Roma students to enrol in VET schools after finishing primary school (regular primary school or primary school for adults).
To enable the exchange of experiences and best practices s through active involvement of Roma students, volunteers, staff and VET experts, and school counsellors, in every step of the project, (pilot implementation of peer support, online monitoring-supervision, F2F learning mobility in Italy).
To strengthen capacity for volunteering work in the field of inclusion of Roma people (initial training, piloting, mobility, active cooperation) and to set a good example of promoting inclusion to other students and the even wider public.

Activities

Adopting and advancing a peer-to-peer assistance framework.
Supporting the students who volunteered to help Roma students in VET with their academic and social needs.
Developing best practices to enhance the success of Roma students.
Creating educational materials and training for volunteers, educators, and counsellors.
Supporting the establishment of student networks.
Advocating for policy changes to foster the inclusion of Roma students in VET.

Resources

PEER TO PEER SUPPORT MODEL as a comprehensive manual for volunteers who will support Roma students of vocational education that includes the background and needs analyses, the purpose of the support, specific aims, methods, and human and other resources required to effectively support the students, examples of best practises.
TRAINED AND MOTIVATE VOLUNTEERS (VET students) who provide peer support to Roma VET students and volunteers and include youth from various social, and educational backgrounds.
DEVELOPED TRAINING PROGRAMME for the volunteers to acquire skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to provide effective peer support to the Roma students. The training programme will cover topics such as effective communication, cultural sensitivity, and problem-solving strategies.
ON-LINE IMPLEMENTATION of training for volunteers (total 12 hours training, 25 volunteers, staff and VET experts).

Results

Improved educational outcomes for Roma students, such as increased attendance and reduced dropout rates – Increased social inclusion and community participation among Roma students.
Establishment of a sustainable peer-to-peer mentoring model that can be replicated in other contexts and communities.
The project aims to contribute to the long-term goal of improving the educational and social outcomes of Roma communities and promoting their inclusion.

Co-experts