SOCIETY

MUNICIPALITIES: 134 PRACTICES


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Initiative

Prevention of early school leaving "Stay Tuned", "URBACT III Implementation Network"

Prevention of early school leaving "Stay Tuned", "URBACT III Implementation Network"
SUBMITTED FROM:

Municipality of Ampelokipi-Menemeni

The Municipality of Ampelokipi - Menemeni is a municipality of the Region of Central Macedonia which was established in 2011 from the merger of the pre-existing municipalities of Ampelokipi and Menemeni. It occupies the north-western edge of the Urban Development Complex of Thessaloniki and its population amounts to 52,127 inhabitants. Its seat is Ampelokipi and its mayor is Lazaros Kyrizoglou.



Objective Action

The main goal of the Municipality was to reduce early school leaving to 15% of the local rate of the problem and to develop actions in collaboration with institutional, educational bodies and services to deal with and prevent the problem, to optimize alternative educational routes and to improve of citizens' qualifications.

Lifelong Learning, continuous education and training, continuous information and employment counseling are key aims for education and early school leaving, employment and enhancing the skills and knowledge of individuals.

 

Target Audience

The project was addressed to the educational community and the residents of the Municipality, with a particular focus on the area of Ag. Nektariou, where the problem of early school leaving  is more pronounced .

 

Duration

From 10/10/2016 to 10/04/2017 Phase 1

From 02/06/2017 to 02/06/2019 Phase II


Description

The municipality of Ampelokipi - Menemeni, in the context of the implementation of the   European Competitive Cooperation Program "URBACT III Implementation Network", participated as a partner in the implementation of the project entitled "Stay Tuned".

The project was implemented through a network of 9 collaborating cities.

 The municipality of Ampelokipi - Menemeni has 50 schools with approximately 3,000 students. Early school leaving amounts to 11.4% and is more pronounced compared to the corresponding national level which amounts to 7.9%.

 The problem of early school leaving concerns the municipality of Ampelokipi - Menemeni, because it exists very strongly in the area of ​​Ag. Nektariou (Dendropotamos), where 2,500 ROMA live, while it doesn’t exist so strongly in the other areas and in the schools of the municipality. 3,500 immigrants live within the boundaries of the municipality and a large part of the population is unemployed or working with low incomes, facts that sometimes cause phenomena of social exclusion and marginalization and are causes that contribute to the phenomenon of early school leaving. The consequences of early school leaving are seen both at the individual level and affect people throughout their lives, increasing the risk of unemployment, poverty and social exclusion, but also at the level of the economy and society in general. This is because people who leave school early tend to participate less in democratic processes and are less active citizens with long-term effects on social developments and economic development. The effects of early school leaving therefore concern the whole of society and is an issue that must be addressed over time.

How to design and implement the project:

In the framework of the first phase of the implementation of the program, the Municipality of Ampelokipi - Menemeni, in addition to the other actions that implemented, created a URBACT local group, consisting of interested parties - experts, in matters of education, training, but also dealing with daily living problems the vulnerable groups of the municipality (e.g. church, administration and services of the municipality, M.K.O., ROMA mediators, local associations, etc.). The members participated in 12 scheduled meetings in which they contributed with their knowledge and experiences in comprehensively mapping the problem and finding proposals-solutions in order to update the local action plan for the prevention of early school leaving.

 After the successful completion of the first phase of the program's implementation and the positive evaluation by URBACT, the implementation of the second phase of the project entitled "Stay Tuned" was approved. This new title was decided by the partners during the implementation of the A' phase (as one of the obligations of the network during the A' phase). Characteristic of the success of the project and the very high evaluation received by the proposal for the implementation of the B' phase is that of the 8 city networks that participated in the A' phase, only 4 were selected to continue their implementation in the B' phase, one of which the above network is. Phase II lasted two years.

 During the implementation of the project, the municipality updated the local school leak management plan, took measures, carried out and continues to carry out actions that contribute and help to limit the problem. At the same time, he took advantage of the operation of the Community Center and especially of the Roma Branch, which is housed within the Community of Agios Nektarios. Through the creation of a strong Project team, with the undivided support of the Municipality Administration, he managed to design and implement an integrated Action Plan, with main Actions:

 

1) Extensive school roof program (almost completed)

 

  • combating the double shift (exclusive morning operation of schools)
  • better distribution of school units in the urban complex
  • creation of new faculties with an attractive environment
  • regular maintenance of school units
  • custody and protection of school units

 

2) Actions to combat the causes of school dropout

 

  • implementation of an integrated Remedial Teaching Program for Primary, Middle and High School students in collaboration with the NGO Pharos tou Kosmos
  • design and creation of three Educational Guides for young people, parents and teachers, with the aim of informing about the phenomenon of school dropout and the available educational options after High School, in collaboration with the Alpha Network
  • establishment and operation of the Community Center with a Roma Annex in the area of ​​Agios Nektarios, through which the Municipality gained a better knowledge of the community and its special needs
  • supporting services (e.g. counseling services, psychologist, sociologist, etc.)
  • operation of Parent Schools
  • actions to support needy families (TEBA, Social Grocery Store, Social Pharmacy, etc.)
  • cultural events & sports events
  • sports infrastructure (e.g. "Karafotis" stadium in Agios Nektarios)
  • support of local Associations and Agencies and strengthening of the Municipality's cooperation with them
  • operation of Centre of Creative Employment and Centre of Creative Employment for people with disabilities
  • camps
  • meetings with the local team of ROMA mediators and other institutions related to education, with a bottom-up approach ,in the framework of the ROMED and FEMROM program, to highlight the problems of the local community and the problem of the school of abandonment in order to find solutions to the problem
  • cooperation with the local ROMA mediators

Duration & continuity of project

 

The Municipality of Ampelokipi-Menemeni continues its efforts to support the citizens through the strengthening of the Community Center of Roma, which has been staffed with an Employment Counselor. The ultimate goal is the social inclusion and active citizenship of the residents.

Regarding the educational leakage, the interest has shifted towards the strengthening of the Second Chance School, Vocational Education and the promotion of young people towards Higher Education.

In this context,  some of the priorities of the Municipality actions are to empower Roma women, strengthen their participation in decision-making and cooperation with local Associations.

 

Originality and Innovation:

The originality and innovation of the Action Plan of the municipality of Ampelokipi-Menemeni lies in the way the municipality approached the phenomenon of leakage from education and training. The fact that the Local Government Agencies do not have competence regarding the educational process prompted the Project Team to look for ways to contribute to understanding, the reduction of educational leakage and the strengthening of education through a holistic approach and an action plan alongside the operation of schools.

The Municipality, through the services of the Directorate of Social Protection - Education - Sports - Culture and the Community Center with Annex ROMA, managed to support, inform and empower young people, parents, adults and schools. In this effort the municipality acted as a Coordinator with valuable supporters and assistants the local bodies and the schools. The support from the Municipality Administration, the excellent cooperation of the Team with each other and with the partners, the different perspective of education and the inclusion of local partners in the decision-making process are some of the success factors.

 

Awards:

 

From 1 to 3 February 2022, the work of URBACT e-University 2022 took place. It is a series of events focused on supporting the cities participating in the URBACT network. In this context, on Tuesday, February 1, 2022, the municipality was invited to present as good practice its experience from the implementation of its Action Plan for Early School Leaving .At the event attended by representatives from all over Europe, the Municipality had the opportunity to present the obstacles and challenges that faced during the implementation of the Action Plan, its methodology and way of working, the results of its efforts and its added value project for the municipality.

 


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Impact on Society

  • the problem of early school leaving was publicized, through meetings and videos
  • the responsible persons for the matter were activated and cooperated, through the establishment of the local action group and its 12 meetings. Minutes were kept with proposed actions, concerns, proposals and solutions.
  • there was a "bottom up" approach to the problem and to finding solutions
  •  remedial teaching courses were held for students who were at risk of dropping out of school. The basic subjects (Mathematics and Language) were taught to primary school students, and the subjects (Ancient, Modern, Mathematics, Geometry, Physics, Chemistry, Biology) to middle and high school students. A section for elementary school children was created, two sections for middle school children and two for high school children, with a specific program of lessons and teaching hours. Students were helped to study and understand the lessons. These classes consisted of Roma and non-Roma children, whose parents were unable to help them in their lessons due to a lack of cognitive ability - illiterate - or knowledge of the Greek language, and thus there is a risk of them dropping out of school.
  • educational guides were issued for students, parents and teachers which were distributed to the schools of the municipality. The guides included the necessary instructions and information about the levels of education, the types of schools, the possibilities of education and further education, according to the age and circumstances of the person concerned, i.e. whether or not he has completed compulsory education. The possibilities of training and finding a job. Psychosocial advice for the valid prevention and treatment of the problem of school leakage. The goal of the three guides is to prevent the school dropout and not to lose contact with education - training, until the professional rehabilitation phase.
  • The Second Chance School of the Municipality of Ampelokipi - Menemeni was established and operates. Through the operation of the Annex Roma  and the support of the beneficiaries from the teacher and other staff, adults were informed and supported for their reintegration into education. At the same time, the Directorate of Social Protection and the Administration of the Municipality took all the necessary actions for the establishment of the School, ensuring the cooperation with the competent Ministry and the Services.
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Initiative Location

The schools of the municipality of Ampelokipi – Menemeni


Working with Organization

Cooperation of the Municipality with the other partners of the program: The Municipality of Ampelokipi - Menemeni, in the context of the implementation of the European Competitive Cooperation Program "URBACT III Implementation Network", participated as a partner in the implementation of the act entitled "IMPACT on ESL" (Prevention of early school leaving). The operation was implemented through a network of 9 collaborating cities which were as follows: Ghent - Belgium as Lead Partner (LP), Tallinn - Estonia, Sofia - Bulgaria, Ampelokipi - Menemeni - Greece, Aveiro - Portugal, Berlin - Germany, Nantes – France, Gothenburg – Sweden, Barcelona – Spain.

In the framework of the first phase of the implementation of the program, the municipality of Ampelokipi - Menemeni, in addition to the other actions it implemented, created a URBACT local group, which consists of interested parties - experts, in matters of education, training, but also dealing with daily living problems the vulnerable groups of the municipality (e.g. church, administration and services of the municipality, M.K.O., ROMA mediators, local associations, etc.). The members participated in planned meetings in which they contributed their knowledge and experiences to the comprehensive mapping of the problem and finding proposals-solutions in order to update the local action plan for the prevention of early school leaving.

 

Cooperation and networking of the Municipality with institutional, educational institutions and teachers

 

▪ church

▪ primary and secondary schools

▪ region (e.g.transfer issues, financing ESPA and KAP)

▪ Ministry of Education

▪ Minor protection centre of ROMA "the Lighthouse of the world"

▪ "Alpha Network" prevention centre

▪ Urban Transport Organization of Thessaloniki

▪ Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

▪ Non-Governmental Organizations

▪ Second chance school

▪ night school

▪ other bodies as appropriate

 

 


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Workers Participation

The employees of the municipality (Project Team) who participated in the implementation of the project are:

1.The Directorate of Social Protection - Education - Sports - Culture

• Office of Education,

 • Office of Welfare & Social Policy,

 • Community Center with Roma Annex

2. Office of European Programs

The employees participated actively in the local action group that was created for the implementation of the project as well as in all the obligations for the implementation of the physical object (transnational meetings, workshops, promotion of the action, drawing up the actions etc.) as well as its management.

In addition, the School Committees and the Municipal Education Committee were cooperated.


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Photos Videos

Benefits for Οrganization

  • conducting a research into the early school leaving in the  municipality of Ampelokipi – Menemeni
  • recording and updating of a Local Action Plan to deal with early school leaving
  • understanding of the problem and cooperation with institutions and students (schools, church, clubs, NGOs, university, Region) to reduce and prevent early school leaving
  •  exchange of transnational experiences from participating in eight transnational meetings
  • stimulation of extroversion (e.g. visit of the Youth Counseling Center Jugendberufsagentur, Berlin)
  • dissemination of the actions of the municipality



Connection with Global Goals







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