28 April, 2020
Maribor

In the Association EPEKA, Soc. Ent., we have reacted to current conditions and we adjust our programmes to the situation, adjusted to the limitations and measure to prevent spread of the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2).

In our work with youth with fewer opportunities, we have recognised importance of the NGO sector, whose job is to react immediately and help ease social and economic distress of all, who had already been suffering from social exclusion and to adjust activities, by help of which, they could – regardless of social distancing – continue to receive new knowledge and expanding their competences.

Sudden freeze of public life has, by all means, had a negative influence on youth with fewer opportunities, which is most evident in the area of inclusion of these youngsters in the systems of formal education – currently children are educated by means of distance learning, however not all the youth are guaranteed equal opportunities for active participation. Our activities are focused on work with young members of Roma community, who often get overlooked in the distance learning processes as they often don’t meet minimum requirements to help them actively participate in learning processes and they stay marginalised in our respective society.

Based on our long-time experience of working with Roma community and field work, which continues to take place also during the period of pandemic, we have recognised a number of issues for young Roma that should be addressed, because they represent a key to equal inclusion in the learning processes:

  • lack of technical equipment (a great number of Roma families don’t have a computer, which is a key teaching accessory in the distance learning process, as it allows users to stay in touch with new assignments, print out learning materials, on the other hand, computer presents a huge expense for Roma family that they couldn’t foresee and thus can’t bare.
  • low level of ICT knowledges (we notice that Roma families don’t have developed digital competences, key for participation in the distance learning processes).
  • low level of formal education of Roma parents (while a lot of parents support their children and help them with school assignments, give them additional explanations etc. this is made more difficult for the parents of Roma children and youth, because a majority of Roma, living in the Maribor area, don’t have a finished primary school, furthermore, a lot of Roma is illiterate so they can’t be of any help to their children’s school work).
  • low level of motivation to participate in the distance learning processes (because of their inability to equally participate and incomprehension of learning topics, youth often end up losing motivation to keep up with the distance learning process, which in turn results in a big shortage of knowledge that will eventually have a big influence on their level of knowledge otherwise and once they do return to the schools, it will be harder for them to successfully pass the class.
  • low level of parents’ awareness about necessity of participation among Roma children and youth in the distance learning processes (a lot of parents don’t find these distance learning processes important and they don’t push their children in doing the work from home, instead, they claim that children and youth don’t want to work and they have no means of directing them towards work).

Based on recognised needs, we have established a work group and together we have shaped activities and strategies that could help young Roma by assuring them better inclusion in the distance learning processes and thus prevent their social inclusion as a result of lacking learning processes.

Activities we carry out:

  • provide technical equipment (borrowing computers and other technical equipment to Roma and help them ease cooperation in a distance learning process),
  • equip Roma community with digital competences (support via phone calls and prepared printed materials with instructions, we offer Roma youth support with basic computer functions and programmes that they need for successful cooperation in the distance learning processes
  • opremljanje romske skupnosti z digitalnimi kompetencami (ob podpori telefonskih pogovorov in pripravljenih tiskanih gradiv z navodili, mladim pripadnikom romske skupnosti nudimo podporo pri spoznavanju z osnovnimi funkcijami računalnika in programov, ki jih potrebujejo za uspešno sodelovanje znotraj učnih procesov na daljavo, za naprednejše uporabnike pripravljamo izobraževanja s področja pridobivanja digitalnih kompetenc ob podpori aplikacije Zoom, kadar imajo osebe preveč težav spoznavanju z delom z računalnikom in tega na daljavo ne gre rešiti, organiziramo osebno srečanje, kjer upoštevamo vse preventivne zdravstvene ukrepe),
  • nudenje učne pomoči (gre za ključno aktivnost, saj želimo mladim Romom in Rominjam omogočiti enakovredno sodelovanje znotraj učnih procesov na daljavo; le-to v večji meri poteka na daljavo, kadar pa to ni mogoče, organiziramo individualno učno pomoč znotraj naših prostorov in tekom aktivnosti upoštevamo preventivne zdravstvene ukrepe),
  • tiskanje in dostavljanje učnih gradiv (za otroke in mladostnike, ki za opravljanje šolskih nalog ne potrebujejo računalnikov, tiskamo učna gradiva in jih dostavljamo v njihove poštne nabiralnike),
  • komunikacija s šolami (zaradi slabših znanj s področja IKT med romskimi starši, le-ti pogosto niso zmožni komunicirati ob podpori elektronske pošte, prav tako ne znajo samo dostopati do pripravljenih učnih gradiv, zato tudi sami komuniciramo s šolo in učitelji ter poročamo o napredku vključenih mladih),
  • svetovanje staršem (romski starši svojih otrok pogosto ne znajo motivirati za opravljanje učnih nalog ali tudi sami ne prepoznavajo pomembnosti tega, zato jim nudimo podporo v okviru telefonskega svetovanja, kjer jih opremimo z znanji in metodami ob podpori katerih bi svoje otroke enostavneje motivirali za opravljanje učnih nalog na daljavo),
  • informiranje in svetovanje (romskim otrokom in mladostnikom nudimo telefonsko ter spletno informiranje in svetovanje s področij opravljanja učnih nalog, duševnega zdravja, preventivnih zdravstvenih ukrepov, ipd.).

 

V trenutni situaciji je ponovno vidno, da je razvoj digitalne kompetence znotraj ranljivih skupin ključnega pomena za zagotavljanje enakih možnosti celotni družbi, ne le privilegiranim skupinam, zato se bomo tudi v prihodnosti osredotočali na to, da bi mlade z manj priložnostmi podprli z znanji in vsebinami, ki bi jih podprla z višjo digitalno pismenostjo in razširjenimi kompetencami s področja IKT. Pri oblikovanju aktivnosti bomo še naprej stremeli h konceptu digitalne socialne vključenosti ter se ob podpori zagovorništva trudili tudi ranljivim skupinam zagotoviti pet ključnih elementov koncepta, ki so cenovno dostopna in zanesljiva širokopasovna internetna storitev, dostop do naprav z internetom, ki zadovoljijo potrebe uporabnika, dostop do usposabljanja za digitalno opismenjevanje, kakovostna tehnična podpora ter aplikacije in spletne vsebine, namenjene omogočanju in spodbujanju samozadostnosti, participacije in sodelovanja. [1]

[1] Vir: https://pjp-eu.coe.int/documents/42128013/47261689/Study-SID-07-04-draft.pdf/2af54871-4567-617e-3128-c2ec1fde795f

Združenje EPEKA, so. p. podpirajo: