Empowering At-Risk Children Through Inclusive Education

A three-year project across five European countries (Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Italy, and Slovenia) that tackles early school leaving among young adolescents aged 11–15, creates inclusive learning ecosystems that combine formal and non-formal education, empowering schools and communities to support children’s resilience, agency, and future pathways, with a special focus on vulnerable girls facing multiple discrimination risks.

Description

The project addresses the pressing challenge of school disengagement among vulnerable lower secondary students. It brings together schools, families, Play Hubs, and local actors to co-create tailored dropout prevention plans and deliver targeted interventions. A comprehensive toolkit, covering social and emotional learning, mentoring, well-being, financial literacy, and early marriage prevention, will guide responsive action in 13 schools and their communities.

Through capacity building, youth participation, and cross-sector collaboration, our project aims not only to keep young people in school but to transform schools into inclusive community hubs that foster long-term educational engagement and brighter futures.

Goals

The overall goals of the project are to reduce early school leaving and promote inclusive, quality education for at-risk children and adolescents aged 11–15 by building bridges between formal and non-formal learning systems.

The project adopts the principle of a whole-community approach with the following objectives:

• Youth empowerment and partnerships: Strengthen cross-sectoral partnerships and collaboration and youth participation mechanisms that address the root causes of educational disengagement and support systemic change.
• Capacity building: Build the capacity of schools and communities to collaboratively identify risks of early school leaving and develop inclusive responses.
• Tools development: Equip teachers, non-formal educators, and community actors with effective, context-sensitive methods and tools to promote social and emotional learning, wellbeing, gender equity, and resilience among children.

Activities

The activities in this project aim to strengthen the ability of schools and communities to identify risks of early school leaving, provide educators and community actors with practical, context-sensitive tools to promote social and emotional learning, well-being, gender equity, and resilience. Some of the activities that will take place are:

• Tailored action plans: Using the toolkit, schools and partners jointly will design context-specific dropout prevention plans that include relevant interventions. Continuous support and mentoring are provided to ensure effective implementation.
• Toolkit co-creation: A flexible toolkit will be developed, including themes such as social and financial literacy, trauma-sensitive practices, early marriage and GBV prevention, etc. The toolkit will be piloted and translated for use across all five countries.
• Play Hub and school activities: Weekly sessions and school-based initiatives support academic progress, social-emotional learning, civic engagement, and resilience building. Whole-school events will engage broader school communities.
• Youth-led storytelling: Adolescents design and deliver storytelling and advocacy campaigns to challenge exclusion and inspire peers. Stories of change will be shared at school, national, and international levels, amplifying youth voices.
• Capacity building: An international Training of Trainers in Slovenia will equip partners to deliver the toolkit locally, followed by national workshops training teachers, youth workers, and professionals in schools and communities.

Expected results

• 13 schools develop tailored dropout assessment tools and prevention plans
• 1 toolkit piloted and translated into 5 languages.
• 250 teachers and 35+ non-formal educators trained; 10 trainers certified through the international ToT.
• 1,800 young adolescents engaged in mentoring, life skills, and civic participation; youth-led storytelling campaigns inspire peers.
• 6 Professional learning communities (5 national and 1 international) established to ensure peer learning and sustainability.
• 19 dissemination events: 13 school-based, 5 national, and 1 international.