E-Tanoda launched two highly significant projects in collaboration with Romaversitas during the 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 school years. These projects aimed to support the educational inclusion of Roma refugee children and youth.

2022/2023 School Year: Enhancing Inclusion and Education Opportunities

The first project by E-Tanoda aimed to create opportunities for Roma refugee children to successfully integrate into school and society. This project addressed various issues, including school performance gaps, lack of peer relationships, inclusion challenges, improved education opportunities, and support for disadvantaged families. Social work with families was crucial in this process, as parents' job opportunities and motivation directly influenced their children's willingness to learn. This project was implemented at the refugee accommodation in Fonyód.

Adjusting to school grades was often challenging due to the children's language proficiency and spelling issues. Younger students were often placed in the 2nd grade and older ones in the 5th grade to help them acquire the basics, but the lack of a peer environment and the issue of compulsory education until age 16 posed problems for further education. High school entrance exams presented additional challenges, requiring complex compensation efforts. Many children participating in the project longed to return to Ukraine, posing further challenges for the professionals involved.

Our results so far show that children participating in peer mentoring are more confident, sociable, and improve academically. The mutual positive influence between mentors and mentees promotes the development of social relationships and integration into mainstream society.

2023/2024 School Year: Continuing Initial Successes

The second project built on the successful work of the previous year, continuing to support the children in Fonyód. After the initial connections and a successful school year, another successful summer camp followed (on a separate tab), reinforcing the children's motivation and commitment. However, the new school year also brought new challenges, such as school burnout, bullying, and early school dropout.

The program's goal remained to provide children with the foundation for school success while supporting them through peer environments and mentoring. We observed that children at the accommodation were eager for conversation and friendship, making the patience and example set by mentors particularly important. Additionally, we incorporated various supportive elements in the form of training: self-awareness training for adolescents and young adults, social circus using circus pedagogy methods, traditional preservation through singing (folk songs) and drama pedagogy, and expanded classic E-Tanoda activities with local afternoon sessions (study room), for which we also provided equipment. These activities not only promoted educational inclusion but also supported the children's emotional and social development. At the end of the 2023/2024 school year, no child supported by us at the Fonyód refugee accommodation failed any subject.

Future Challenges and Opportunities

Our experiences from both projects indicate that peer mentoring and inclusion programs have long-term positive effects on the lives of participating children. Our goal is for these children to become confident, sociable, and academically successful adults who can fully participate in society.

We remain committed to providing all possible support to these children and continuing our work for the educational inclusion of Roma refugee children. The E-Tanoda team believes that every child deserves a chance at success and a better future. We hope to continue collaborating on many more projects!