Restart - Ludenet.org

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With support from the European
Union[1]



Restart
Innovative Approaches to Tackle Early School Leaving




Agreement ref. No: VS/2006/0388










Final report











Quartier en Crise - European Regeneration Network

http://www.qec-eran.org/



Table of contents


1. Introduction

1.1 Project aims and objectives
1.2 Project partners
1.3 Policy context

2. Project activities undertaken


2.1 Coordination and Steering group meetings


2.2 Peer Review Workshops (PREWs)

2.3 Local Action Groups (LAGs)
2.4 Website Restart http://www.qec-eran.org/projects/Restart

3. Outputs

3.1 National perspectives

3.1.1 Netherlands
3.1.2 France
3.1.3 United Kingdom: England, Northern Ireland
3.1.4 Italy
3.1.5 Slovenia
3.1.6 Portugal

3.2 Case studies inside the EU

3.2.1 'Way Up', Amsterdam, The Netherlands
3.2.2 'Onz-Moet', Amsterdam, The Netherlands
3.2.3 'Total Counselling', Centre for Vocational Education and
Training, Slovenia
3.2.4 Presentation - Olmec, UK Housing Association, UK
3.2.5 School Factories, Spain


3.2.6 Measures in pre vocational secondary education against ELS Den
Helder, The Netherlands
3.2.7 Education Policy Reforms in Helsingborg, Education Department,
Sweden
3.2.8 The Rickter Scale, UK
3.2.9 Girl Media Future, Germany
3.2.10 Make Good Project, UK
3.2.11 Curriculum Examinations and Assessment Reform, Northern Ireland,
UK
3.2.12 Open Book in London, UK
3.2.13 Forestalling 'Ghettoisation' in Anderlecht, Belgium
3.2.14 Challenging an anti-educational sub-culture, Palermo, Italy
3.2.15 Venezia Inclusione' and the 'CoGeS' social cooperative, Venice,
Italy
3.2.16 The X-it Programme, London, UK
3.2.17 Preventing Early School-Leaving in Amsterdam, The Netherlands
3.2.18 The School Completion Programme, Ireland
3.2.19 The Rock and Water Programme, The Netherlands & Australia



3.3 Case studies outside the EU


3.3.1 Parents As Career Transition Supports (PACTS), Australia


3.3.2 The Victorian Government's Strategic Framework on Mentoring
Young People, Australia


3.3.3 Ready4Work: An Ex-Prisoner, Community and Faith Initiative, USA


3.3.4 William Glasser's Choice Theory and Reality Therapy, California,
USA


3.3.5 Switzerland


3.3.6 YMCA of Singapore: Project Bridge for Early School Leavers


3.4 Examples of local actions, mapping and dissemination

3.4.1 Extent of Early School Leaving (ESL) in Northern Ireland, UK
3.4.2 Amsterdam South East, The Netherlands
3.4.3 London, UK
3.4.4 Den Helder, The Netherlands
3.4.5 Odenwaldkreis, Germany
3.4.6 Thessaloniki, Greece
3.4.7 LAG report Early School Leaving, Slovenia

4. Conclusion


5. Annexes


5.1 Partner profiles

5.2 Suggestions for improvement
5.3 Peer Review Exchange Workshop reports
1. Introduction


Young people leaving school early face a multitude of problems e.g.
decreasing job availability, lack of work experience, increasing
casualisation of the labour market, and conflicting pressures to complete
their schooling and/or to take on volunteer, unpaid or part-time work. If
they do not complete their compulsory period of education, their problems
are compounded. Wider contextual issues affecting them include increasing
economic and social instability, social expectations, a growing incidence
of homelessness and poverty, and problems of self-identity, particularly
for those alienated by their school experience.


The European Commission funded Restart through the "Community Action
Programme to combat Social Exclusion". The goal of Restart was establishing
an action learning, trans-national peer review exchange project between
partners concerned with reducing early school leaving and improving the
prospects of disadvantaged young people. Local partners committed to
creating Local Action Groups to map and improving local provision and this
was supported by the creation of an on-line Good Practice Exchange and four
trans-national 'Peer Review Exchange Workshops'.


Duration

The Restart programme investigated ways of tackling early school leaving in
Europe. It started on 17 October 2005 for the duration of two years. After
evaluating the results from the first year, the project was continued for a
second year and ended in October 2007.


Content Final report

This final report covers the entire range of activities during the two-year
project. It was compiled out of contributions from all partners.

During the first year, the project organisation was established in
association with the partners. In addition, the various dimensions within
the project were determined and four transnational Peer Review Exchange
Workshops (PREWs) were organised. The first three peer review exchange
workshops were focused on three interrelated themes. They took place in
Amsterdam-with the sub theme "Breaking Walls between work, training and
education: better tackling early school leaving in Europe"-London, with its
sub theme "Broader approaches to learning better tackling early school
leaving in Europe" and Ljubljana, with its sub theme "The Impact of Former
Early School Leavers on Youngsters at risk of Early School leaving". The
fourth and last one took place in Brussels, providing an overview themed:
"Innovative Approaches to Tackling Early School Leaving". These workshops
were the site for exchange of best practices and discussion about the state
of affairs in the participating countries. The case studies discussed at
these PREWs proved to be very diverse and painted an elaborate picture of
the problems and challenges that the partners faced and the various
approaches and solutions they offered. As a result of mutual appreciation,
exchange and collaboration followed.

In addition to an elaborate description of the PREWs, European case studies
were discussed. Besides giving a European overview, this final report will
also include the position relating to ESL in other parts of the world as
well as a survey on a local level in order to identify the needs of the
target groups and also the gaps in local provision. The aim here is to
support the creation of local action plans, which provide a means for wider
dissemination and implementation of outcomes.


Definition early school leaver:

There is no common definition of early school leaving with the inevitable
consequence that collecting like-by-like data on this issue is fraught with
difficulty. However, a consensus of some sort is emerging so those who
'leave school early' will include those formally excluded from the
educational system before completing their compulsory studies. In a broader
sense, the expression may include those who completed such studies with
just a minimum sufficient mark.


1.1 Project aims and objectives


The project's overall goal was to establish an action learning,
transnational peer review exchange programme that would involve over 150
participants. Of these, at least 20% would be participants with direct
experience of the realities facing the "target group". Further aims
concerned the exchange of ways to develop and mainstream a broader view of
learning and innovative approaches incorporating the active involvement of
young people who have had direct experience of the reality that "early
school leavers" face. Other expected results included the production of
three peer review exchange reports, the production of three linked case
studies reports and the production of an "overview" report, see at
http://www.qec-eran.org/projects/Restart/Restart_prew. Furthermore, seven
local mapping reports and linked action plans were planned, as well as an
on-line good practice exchange and development forum, and a dissemination
and mainstreaming workshop in each partner location.


1.2 Project partners


|Lead |QeC-ERAN (Quartiers en crise - European Regeneration Areas |
|partner |Network) |
|Germany |District administration of the Odenwald region |
| |(Kreisausschuss des Odenwaldkreises) |
|Greece |Municipality of Thessaloniki |
|Netherlands|District Council Amsterdam South East (Stadsdeel Zuidoost |
| |Amsterdam) |
| |Municipality of Den Helder (Gemeente Den Helder) |
|Spain |Castilla la Mancha Municipalities' and Provinces' Federation|
| | |
| |(Federacion de Municipios y Provincias de Castilla la Mancha|
| |- FEMPCLM) |
|Slovenia |Center of the Republic of Slovenia for Vocational Education |
| |and Training |
| |(Center Republike Slovenije za poklicno izobrazhevanje) |
|United |Presentation-Olmec |
|Kingdom |North & West Belfast Health and Social Services Trust |


1.3 Policy context

Tackling early school leaving in Europe

Over the past twenty-five years young people have been at the sharp end of
global economic change and their transitions from education to employment
have undergone fundamental change. In contrast with the 1960s, when
transitions between school and work