The Project



Once Again-st ( 2007 - 2009)

1. social, cultural and economic factors that characterize young dropouts;
2. good practises implemented at local level in UK, IT, ES, LV.

Project Direct beneficiaries are Guidance and counselling operators and organisations, while Indirect beneficiaries and potential users are Young drop-out (14-24 y.o.); Education and training Institutions (schools, vocational training centres, employment services, etc).The sector concerned is the one of services aimed at supporting individuals in their personal and occupational development.




RESEARCH FIELD OF REFERENCE

The KEY aspect characterizing the whole of analysis and outputs realised by both the projects is “Communication” as a substantial practice and mean implied in the relationship between:

1. Young dropouts and Institutions (School) and viceversa ;
2. Young dropouts and the community;
3. Young dropouts and the territorial/national services/systems (training, counselling, etc) and viceversa.

Therefore, Communication has been analysed by both the projects, since it means and implies:

1. verbal and non verbal language and codes;
2. social and relational behaviours;
3. services (information towards the client, education, training);
4. pedagogical and counselling practices (approach).

MAIN GOALS

The project idea was based on the necessity of verifying, integrating and valorising the outcomes achieved by Against Abandon project, by:

1. opening the outcomes achieved to a group of new countries (GR, RO, PL, DE) represented by organisations holding a long experience in counselling and training services addressed to people at risk of social exclusion and in promoting and realising studies concerned with the young dropout phenomenon;
2. integrating the analysis made, considering not only the practices addressed to the early school leavers (young up to 14-16 y.o.), but to the over 16 y.o. young dropping out the training pathways;
3. promoting the creation of a Transnational network of organisations providing services to people at risk of social and occupational exclusion, willing of supporting each other through the exchange of practices, experiences, analysis, tools, ect.;
4. promoting the direct involvement of Young in experimental activities concerned with communication;
5. creating a permanent virtual community (Portal on School Abandon), with the aim of making available on line a space where rationalize, disseminate, exchange and valorise the practices, solutions, materials and tools identified and validated by different local subjects through their own experience and work;
6. promoting the enhancement of communication/relational efficacy and efficiency of counselling, guidance and training services addressed to young drop out.

PROJECT BACKGROUND ISSUES

Both the  projects are grounded on a few main assumptions:

1. dropouts are young at risk of social and occupational exclusion because for the most they are “not visible” by the national/local systems (they really disappear) and are difficult to be found, that is, it is very difficult to trace their “moving” on the territory and to quantify them (in terms of percentage rates at national/local level);
2. if young drop-out, it means that the system is not able to be effective and efficacious in providing services that are addressed to them;
3. many of the successful interventions and actions implemented around Europe (best practices), aimed at reintegrating these young in social, education and training systems are not always or necessarily directly supported by Institutions, but have been promoted and realised by other subjects that in general have a strong link with the territory.

The core idea is that there actually exists, all around Europe, a wide range of different practices and processes that can differ from each other but that share a basic theoretical approach “Young Centred”, from which arise:

1. a complex whole of methodologies, techniques and information that can be useful to valorise and share;
2. interventions and actions consistently structured, implying also specific tools.

Within this whole of practices, the project focuses on the communication and relation process implemented by subjects providing education, training and counselling services when dealing with young at risk of social-occupational exclusion, analysing in particular two main aspects:

1. the outreaching modality – when the organisation/institution make itself visible to the service target. In this case the aim is to highlight the mutual communication behaviour that operators and young establish when they meet inside the young context of reference;
2. the settings – implying the analysis of communication and relation behaviour that operators and young establish when they meet outside the young context of reference. In this case, the target “moves” towards the organisation.

MAIN ACTIVITIES

1. Desk analysis toidentify relevant Case Studies implemented in all countries involved (projects, actions, interventions, etc.).
2. Field  analysis (interviews with operators) to identify good practices adopted by the operators with young dropouts, in terms of communication/relation techniques and methodologies.
3. Field analysis (interviews with young dropouts) to integrate the Glossaries and Word lists (GR, PL, RO, DE) created during the previous project, describing the verbal modalities adopted by young dropouts.
4. Publishing and promoting a Portal on school abandon (Project website) with the aim of providing subjects with a space to exchange information, tools and materials that can be uploaded and downloaded by them directly on line.
5. Realisations of 7 experimental Laboratories with young dropouts, aimed at: making them live a short but real working group experience; providing them with basic information on process, methodology and technical aspects related to the editing work.

In particular: 6 Labs have been realised in GR, PL, RO, DE, UK, LV, within those have been produced 6 Newsletters in national language and English; 1 Lab has been realised in IT, to produce 1 Video Master (DVD).




MAIN PRODUCTS

The outcomes of the Desk analysis realised have been described in a Comparative Transnational Report (the present document) focusing 3 main aspects:

1. the main National/Local Norms related to the theme of preventing and opposing the phenomena linked to the education and training abandon. The selection of norms has been pursued (IT, ES, LV, UK RO, PL, GR, DE ), taking into account the most exemplary ones, since the research was aimed at identifying examples and models useful to specify how the phenomena have been punctually and successfully approached within the national normative system. The norms identified consider aspects linked to: the punishment of the compulsory school abandon or focused on the phenomena linked to it (black labour market, young crime or the related physical and mental difficulties, etc.); the support to families and schools for counselling interventions or in economical terms (school tax allowance); fostering or introducing some flexibilities for the exploitation of the training offer opportunities (easy returns, institution of second chance schools, timetable flexibility, individualised pathways, etc.).
2. National/local programmes and intervention schemes, in order to provide data and information on policies and strategies differently concerned with the fight against school abandon in the countries involved in the partnership.
3. National/local Case Studies, providing models potentially transferable and/or reproducible.

The Field Analysis Report, presenting – in original version - the full transcriptions (in national and English version) of the interviews realised in all countries, with Young and Operators, that have been audio-video recorded and edited (not in the full version) on the project Video Reportage (DVD). The information collected have been useful to integrate the collection of case studies exemplifying communication-relation methodologies and practices; to integrate and deepen the analysis and identification of good practices (communication-relation processes) - collected in the project Compendium - adopted by the operators to re-involve and re-integrate young dropouts within education, training and employment pathways; to integrate the Glossaries and wordlists, describing the young dropout’ s communication styles.

The Glossaries and Word lists, as a Collection  of the main expressions adopted by young dropouts living in all partnership countries. For each word or expression selected are provided:

1. the original term in national language;
2. the translation and definition of the term in English;
3. a simulation of its use.

The Compendium of Good Practices, including an organised list of the main communication, relational, methodological, organisational and deontological practices tested and validated by operators approaching and working with young dropouts.

The Project Magazine  “What’s new? Stories from the world of young”, where have been collected all the  6 Newsletters realised during the editorial Labs realised in GR, D, LV, RO, PL; conceived, realised and written by Young themselves with the support of tutors, book designers and partner’s staff (national language + English version).

The project Publication “The Young’s Voice”, collecting the 7 Brochures realised in each country with the contribution of Young (national language + English) that have been asked to write down about their own personal stories and feelings without imposing a theme.

Video Reportage (DVD) - “Abandoning education – a pan European perspective – The Voice of people IN and AGAINST school abandon”. The Reportage  (120 minutes) has been edited and produced within a Lab realised in Italy, involving tutors and Young. The material selected and edited (with subtitles in English) was the one recorded by all partners during the interviews made to operators, Young and families (field analysis).  

The Portal on School Abandon (project website www.once.againstabandon.net )
The Portal as been conceived as a Virtual Resources Centre, that is, an open source channel and tool, where all users can enter without limitations to upload and download on line materials.

The Model for quali-quantitative territorial analysis, this tool - addressed to guidance, training and employment operators – as been conceived to support the operators in the collection of information concerning the characteristics of the territory where they work, in order to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the service they provide to young dropouts. The grids and questionnaires provided are aimed at mapping the different typologies of guidance, training and information services (and related organisations) existing on the local territory, (referred to both formal and informal contexts); and organising information on the quality level of the service offered by them.

Cd-Rom including:

• The Compendium of good practices
• The collection of Glossaries and Word lists (IT, EN, LV, EL, D, PL, RO)
• The Transnational Report
• The Field Analysis Report
• “Once” Magazine and “Once” Publication
• Model for quali-quantitative territorial analysis