STEP IN Closing Conference

Brussels, 22 October 2006 – STEP IN (Studying Training and Educational Paths for the Integration of Young Roma), the project that aims at the integration of Roma youngsters in secondary education, and which is co-financed by the European Commission within Joint Actions Leonardo, Socrates and Youth Programmes, has reached its end. This was marked by a final conference held in Brussels on 19-20 October. The STEP IN project started on 1 September 2004 and aimed at increasing school attendance among Roma youngsters between 12 and 18 years old at secondary school. The methods chosen to achieve this objective focused on social integration of Roma youngsters through a diversity of activities after regular school hours.

The final conference was attended by representatives of each organisation participating in the project, as well as several external experts in the field of social inclusion; such as MEP Lívia Járóka and the prominent Roma anthropologist Delia Grigore.

The event was a great opportunity to discuss and debate the integration of Roma in education and into society as a whole. Question breaks after each speech were actively and vividly used by the participants, starting very animated discussions and exchange of ideas and visions.

The publication "Roma: A Possible Integration", which includes the outcome of the project, was presented during the conference. This publication provides useful and practical information for all those committed to improve the social and educational integration of young Roma in society. One of its main conclusions is that for any future project of this kind, the right conditions for guaranteeing children’s regular school attendance can be created by setting up wide ranging, multi-dimensional programmes that involve the parents and include a wide range of official and unofficial local partners in the community.

Participants to the STEP IN Final Conference agreed on three types of recommendations; those resulting from the practical work of the project itself, those on a possible follow-up of the project, and those towards the European Institutions. The main recommendation towards the European Institutions was formulated as following:

"To develop a separate EU strategy for Roma and Education with the most successful stakeholders involved so far (including viable partners of Roma origin)".

All the speeches held at the conference, by order of appearance:

• “Roma and travelers: Policy and Action at European Level”
  Ms. Lívia Járóka, MEP
  

• “Education as an Integration Tool in a Wider Context”
  Prof. Rumen Valcev, Burgas University, Director of Open Education Centre – Bulgaria
  
  

• "Integrating Roma youngsters through formal and informal education” ()
  Sr. Claudia Biondi, Coordinator Roma Department, Project Manager, Caritas Ambrosiana
  

• Presentation of STEP IN project
  Sr. Claudia Biondi, Coordinator Roma Department, Project Manager, Caritas Ambrosiana
  

• “The situation of Roma in Eastern Europe and the situation for education of Roma in Romania”
  Dr. Delia Grigore, University of Bucharest, President Roma Centre “Amare Rromentza”
  

• “The process of integration in Western European countries: the Problem of Identity” ()
  Ms. Angela Sacco, STEP IN project Supervisor, Caritas Ambrosiana 
  

•  “Assimilation or Integration?”
  Mr. Ronald Lucardie, Roma Expert CORDAID, The Netherlands
  

• “How to reach Roma communities?”
  Mr. Walter Wolf, European Commission/DG Employment and Social Affairs