Výroční zpráva 2020

Annual Report 2020

The year 2020 was a watershed year for the organisation. Covid 19 interrupted the intensive work that had been started, but on the other hand it allowed to create sufficient space for the evaluation of the efforts and results of the organisation's work so far, not only in the context of its work in the excluded locality of Ostrava - Přívoz, but also in the context of the education of children from socially excluded localities, children with social, cultural and economic disadvantages or children with persistent problematic behaviour. This time of stopping has allowed us to look into other areas related to the lives of our children and parents and has led us to develop a new strategy for the organisation and their new objectives.

In addition to the changes in strategic goals, there have been changes in personnel.

The changes in the organization did not primarily represent changes in the teaching and teaching assistant positions. After the internal evaluation, new organizational priorities and methods were set as well as new organizational goals.

Organisational composition of the project

Project manager. Mgr. Štefan Grinvalský, pedagogue Bibiana Poláková, field worker Gabriela Biháriová and teaching assistant Aneta Poláková.

In May, the Together to Kindergarten 3 project ended, interrupted by the Covid 19 pandemic.

Beleza - Mamaclub, z.s. continued to participate in the activities of the Early Care Platform, which focuses on legislative and innovative changes in education. Together with other major non-profit organizations such as Charity, Czech Red Cross and others, it contributed its experience and knowledge to the necessary changes in the field of education of children from socially excluded localities.

Right at the beginning of the year, a teacher and two assistants* took over the positions at Mamaclub. A large number of our children started kindergarten, the older children had already started primary school and the new faces were getting to know the class and the teachers.

Unfortunately, our continued functioning was limited by the Covid 19 pandemic. March's emergency measures were gradually eased until the end of May, when Beleza - Mamaclub focused on minimizing the impact of the aftermath and responding to the new needs of families caused by the pandemic.

During the year, the organization's staff focused on preparing the documents needed to incorporate the new school legal entity. This culminated in late September when they were submitted to the Moravian-Silesian Region's Department of Education.Za významné považujeme i příchod dobrovolnice Svati, která významně napomáhá k rozvoji organizace.

Děkuji všem kolegům a dobrovolníkům za jejich osobnostní přínos i práci. Děkuji také maminkám i tatínkům za jejich vstup do organizace. Vám všem velké díky, je pro mě pocta vás znát a být s vámi na jedné velké lodi v tomto širém moři.

Paní učitelka Bibiana rozšířila spektrum aktivit o taneční minutky a rovněž se připravovala i na zahájení Feuersteinovy instrumentální metody, ve která byla proškolena organizací Charlie - Karlín.

. I thank all my colleagues and volunteers for their personal contribution and work. Thank you also to the moms and dads for their input into the organization. A big thank you to you all, it is a privilege to know you and to be in the same big boat with you in this vast sea.

Projects:

In 2020, the organization implemented two projects, the first Mamaclub - Continuing was focused on children and their successful path in classical education. Mitigating the effects of Covid 19 was the focus of the second project, Quick Help, which helped parents in their difficult economic situation.

Together to Kindergarten - continued

The aim of the project was to start the educational trajectory of children from the SVL in Ostrava Přívoz. The project was divided into several parts. The first one was for children aged 3-5 years and was implemented on the premises of the organisation. Its content was a visit to the pre-school centre where the children had the opportunity to learn all the basic habits and skills needed to successfully stay in a traditional kindergarten.

Another activity was aimed at the mothers of the project children. The activity, implemented under the title Your Story, offered time spent with a book and its story. The mothers read the book under the guidance of an experienced facilitator and use the analyzed story to address different family situations, especially those that affect the upbringing and education of the children.

The third part focused on the actual process of enrolment in kindergartens and primary schools. The preparation of documents needed for enrolment in kindergarten or primary school.

The last part of the project was devoted to the individual work of the lecturer with the child using the so-called Fie method, the aim of which was to develop the cognitive functions of the pupil.

Project activities:

- Mamaclub

- Your story

- Enrolment in non-segregated primary schools and kindergartens

- Fuenstarin's instrumental method

Mamaclub:

Lenka G. from Bohumín stayed on as assistant and the last place in Mamaclub was taken over by (Aneta P. - Vítkovice).

Mamaclub started again in January. The line-up of 12-15 children remained unchanged and the position of teacher was filled by Bibiana P.

We were open as in the previous year, i.e. from Monday to Thursday from 8:00 to 12:00. A hot soup was waiting for the children before they left. Fridays were reserved for administrative and preparatory work.

The preparation for the kindergarten entrance had begun in earnest. The teacher, after receiving the documents, enriched the existing range of activities.

Mrs. Bibiana, the teacher, expanded the spectrum of activities to include dance minutes and also prepared for the start of the Feuerstein Instrumental Method, in which she had been trained by Charlie - Karlín.

Unfortunately, this promising activity was discontinued as part of the covid measures following the closure of state school facilities.

Your Story:

This activity was aimed at mothers of project children, was implemented on a weekly basis and pursued several objectives. The first and most important was to read a book to a child who was finding a relationship with books through this experience. These are important for the development of thinking, imagination, vocabulary and stimulating the development of the intellect. Another goal was to develop the relationship between parent and child. Another goal was the development of parenting competencies, which was mediated through the analysis of the story read and the sharing of educational, training or various situations under the direction of an experienced facilitator. The last bonus of the activity was relaxation for the mothers, in which they could forget about the ordinary woes of their lives for at least two hours a week. After the activity, the moms took the book home with the goal of reading the book to their child.

In the evaluation, the moms wrote that they enjoyed and enjoyed it.

Enrollment in non-segregated and kindergarten and elementary school

Enrolment of children in non-segregated primary and kindergarten schools is one of the most important activities of the whole project. This goal is emphasized at every possible moment or situation.

However, since Covid 19 has closed our premises, our efforts have not been crowned with success as it was in previous years. The limited contact has been the cause of the assumed opinion of the residents of the locality that the local segregated schools are of good quality and that actually the most important thing is that the children go to school.

Fuenstarin's instrumental method

This method, which uses specially designed worksheets with the participation of a tutor, aims to develop intrinsic motivation and self-confidence, attention, expression and understanding, the ability to work with error, the use of effective problem-solving strategies, organisation and planning, and emotional intelligence.

Our tutors have been carefully prepared to guide the children to systematically prepare strategies for completing instruments and then analyzing the workflow. In this way, children learn to work with error and use this experience for future work. They are encouraged to find their own solutions. The children gradually lose their timidity and fear of failure. They gain confidence that they will solve the task and the problems. They learn to express their opinions and respect different ones. Last but not least, they develop communication skills through dialogue. All the knowledge and experience gained in FIE classes is transferred to practical life. Unfortunately, in this part we have only reached the training of the lecturers.

The epidemic has not allowed us to apply the experience we have gained to further develop our children.

Evaluation of the project:

Throughout the duration of the project, all activities were successful. Whether it was Mamaclub, Your Story or preparation for enrolment in kindergarten and primary school, the activities were handled according to standard procedures with an individual approach according to the circumstances.

Fie and dancing under the guidance of a conservatory graduate were activities that we looked forward to seeing the results of.

Prompt assistance:

The aim of the project was to support families participating in Beleza - Mamaclub's educational activities who were in financial and material crisis after the spring lockdown. Irregular benefit payments and crippling opportunities to earn an occasional income opened up space for local loan sharks to operate.

Another risk of lockdown was the limitation of children's opportunities to develop skills and abilities related to preparing for primary school entry. The absence of stationery, exercise books and colouring books reduced the chances of school success and therefore of all future professional development.

Project progress

The first phase was marked by contacting the target group, i.e. mothers. This part was quite challenging, as the fieldworkers working in the organisation had been on maternity leave and long-term sick leave for two years. The new workers got to know the mothers slowly and everything was complicated by the winter situation in which our children are more often sick. With the arrival of Covid 19, the workers' employment was terminated, as the epidemiological uncertainty raised questions about the continuation of the project.

Unfortunately, the more intensive contact of the female workers of the organization and, conversely, the less frequent contact of the project manager (caused by gender stereotypes of female vs. male) created doubts about the selection of project participants, as information about the "Quick Help" project spread around the locality at breakneck speed. The project manager contacted the mothers who met the criteria for participation in the project and also selected surrogate mothers.

After the selection of the mothers, a meeting was arranged at the premises of the organisation to provide information about the project. The project objectives were explained to the participants and also the implementation of the project activities, i.e. mainly the purchase and distribution of hygiene and writing materials. The mothers were also informed about the upcoming meetings between mothers and children in the organization, the purpose of which was to spend time together while painting or playing.

Mothers were explained what they could and could not buy. Alcohol and tobacco purchases were strongly discouraged.

The second phase involved the actual implementation of the project activities:

- Shopping

- Receiving hygiene products and receiving stationery.

- Joint activities of mothers and children in the organization

Shopping

Mothers were always given shopping vouchers worth 1600 CZK before the shop, followed by the actual shopping. They handed over the receipt on the way out (to check the purchase).

The purchase was made on three dates, 12 June, 4 July and 21 August.

It was evident on the mothers that the purchase had greatly eased their complicated life situation.

The only negative was the inadequate checking by the "guards" of some mothers, which lasted more than an hour and all items in the basket as well as on the receipt were thoroughly checked. The mothers felt humiliated in front of passers-by.

The rejection of new mothers was very challenging. At the time of the Together to Kindergarten project, lunches were paid for almost 90 children and another 40 or so children were enrolled in the Mamaclub (preschool club). Only 30 of them received rapid assistance.

Receipt of hygiene products and stationery

Sanitary products were purchased by the project worker from Praktik - Paper wholesale store. The contents of the package were Hit toilet cleaner, Kitchen Savo, Dish Jar and Mimo quicksand.

This activity went very smoothly. The moms took away 3x the package from the organization's premises.

The stationery packet included, pencil sharpener, pencil, crayons, pen - tornado, drawing templates, scissors, sketchbook, 2 coloring books, a memory game - alphabet, water coloring book and a large homework book for preschoolers. A third pack was distributed in September in view of the children returning to school.

Joint activities of mothers and children in the organisation

Mothers and children came to the organization three times. The content of the meeting was joint activities of mothers and children. At the same time, mothers were instructed on how to play with or guide the children, and above all to break the stereotype that taking care of a child is not only about keeping the child clean and fed, but also about giving the children active time in playing or writing, etc.

The project worker together with the volunteer Swava instilled in the project participants the principles of working with children, i.e. calmly answering children's questions, turning off distractions, what to warn children about, not using the phone during joint activities, not using derogatory words like "dilino" etc. and what active play or an active approach means.

Evaluation of the project:

The project involved 31 participants over three months. The project was very demanding in every way. First of all, selecting 30 mothers and not allowing others to participate in the project was a considerable burden, as many mothers could not understand why she could not get a voucher when she had received a voucher the last time.

However, it was clear that the food and material assistance was a great help to mothers recovering from the crisis. It was also clear that "giving" to the children or providing toys and stationery for the children was the last thing on the moms' minds.

Results of the evaluation of the organization: we need a school that can educate all children and those who are struggling in school...

The failure to educate Roma children has been addressed for more than 60 years. Especially in the last 20 years, considerable resources have been spent on this target group, as well as a considerable amount of energy, whether by NGOs, state institutions or the schools themselves.

Just as during the communist regime, we are now witnessing situations in which graduates of 'Roma' or 'segregated' schools do not enter further education or, if they do, they leave during their first year.

Poverty, which includes hunger, lack of clothing or hygiene products, the absence of toys and stimuli necessary for the child's cognitive development in relation to school, racism, as well as a pathological environment in which children witness domestic violence, drug or alcohol abuse, gambling, or various illegal activities on a daily basis, shapes the child's values towards non-conformist behaviour, which some experts view as behavioural disorders and others view as problem pupils.

We want to address this multidimensional problem of education and upbringing according to the legacy and Christian founders of modern pedagogy, and in particular on J. A. Comenius and his pedagogical principles and age selection, on M. Montessori and her approach to preschool children, and finally on the legacy of J. Bosco, who in his holistic conception of education and upbringing met the needs of the child's soul, which he divided into school, playground, family and church.

By establishing a Christian school, we aim to create an environment that will fully compensate for all kinds of disadvantages that make it difficult to participate in society or to obtain an education.

School, playground, home, church and family

The starting point for the successful education of children from socially excluded localities is the establishment of a school that can work with pupils' behavioural problems. Kaleja formulates it as: disruption, defiance of the teacher, talking back, anger, bullying or not going to school. Unfortunately, these behaviours are perceived by other pupils as the norm or standard, and in the context of cultural difference, as desirable.

If Roma children are to be successful at school, they must have a space where they can change their behaviour and the motivation to change their behaviour. Success in education therefore necessarily implies mastery of their behaviour. The correction of problem behaviour to conforming behaviour must take place in the educational environment, not in the educational environment.

By establishing a school and a leisure centre, we thus fulfil the two most important prerequisites for success both in school and in changing a child's behaviour.

Výroční zpráva 2019

Annual Report 2019

Dear friends and supporters of the organization,

The 2019 Annual Report, an overview of activities and the organization, is now in your hands.

This year we have reached Phase II of the Together to Kindergarten 3 project and throughout the project we have implemented the planned activities.

Again this year, workers from Mutual Coexistence visited us and met with mothers three times as part of the Your Story activity, giving them presentations on debt, foreclosures and planned spending.

Beleza - Mamaclub became an active member of the Early Care Platform and participated twice in a national meeting to share experiences and plan activities

of the newly formed group itself.

In numbers:

Number of children supported in activities:

By attending Mamaclub 35

By paying for meals at the kindergarten 60

Total number of children supported 95

Total to kindergarten:

The project was implemented in two locations, i.e. in Ostrava Přívoz and Ostrava Poruba.

The aim of the project is to prepare children to enter non-segregated kindergartens and non-segregated primary schools. The children are prepared by an experienced teacher who guides them in the Mamaclub (pre-school club) on basic tasks typical for kindergarten and primary school. She is assisted in her work by assistants who also go into the field and contact parents or communicate with the kindergartens where the children are being prepared for enrolment.

Organizational structure of the project:

Project manager. Štefan Rivalský, pedagogue Adéla Červeňáková, assistant pedagogue and field worker for Přívoz: Irena Facunová, assistant pedagogue for Home School and field worker for Poruba Kristýna Tichá.Projektové aktivity:

• Mamaclub
• Your Story
• Platba stravného v MŠ
• Platba měsíčních jízdenek
• Knihovna hraček
• Zápis do nesegregovaných mateřských škol
• Zápis do nesegregovaných základních škol

We opened Mamaclub immediately in January and the teacher continued her work. The goals of Mamaclub were several, whether it was language training, development of fine and gross motor skills, strengthening hygiene habits or developing cognitive skills.

The Mamaclub included walks or time in the garden. Before leaving the Mamaclub, the children were served soup.

During the summer holidays we went to the Dinopark and we celebrated the Christmas period traditionally with a visit from St Nicholas and we prepared a Christmas dinner with the children and gave out presents.

There was a Christmas workshop for the mums to make Christmas tree decorations or Advent wreaths.

During the year, 35 children regularly attended the Mamaclub.

Your Story

is an activity aimed at developing parenting competences and also serves as a relaxation for mothers to experience humour, well-being and also to learn something new about raising or managing children. This activity develops children's relationship with books and develops vocabulary. The added value of this activity is in the time in which the mum concentrates fully on one of her children and thus develops a relationship between them.

The activity starts with the facilitator welcoming the mothers and preparing tea or coffee for them. There is a storybook waiting for them on the table. After greeting each other and settling in, the mothers open the book and each one reads a piece of the story. The facilitator pauses the key situations and reflects on them with the mums. It is important in these situations to emphasize the positive elements in the upbringing and education of the children.

The mothers took the book home after reading it and their task was to read it to their child in complete calm and concentration.

Paying for meals at the Kindergarten

This activity is one of the most essential ones as it enables the children to stay in the kindergarten. Beleza - Mamaclub, regularly covers the payment of the boarding fees. Without this activity, some parents would be in a debt trap, as it is compulsory for children to be in kindergarten from the age of five, some would not even be able to enrol their children in kindergarten.

Payment of monthly tickets:

Overpriced rents, low incomes, often foreclosed upon is often a reality in which a ticket is a luxury. That is why public transport in this part of Ostrava is closely monitored and controlled. As a result, children often walk with their parents and are late for school. In bad weather they do not go to school at all.

Thus, the purchased tickets ensured an easier journey when accompanying children to and from school.

Toy library

Toys are essential tools for the development of thinking, imagination, communication, concentration and other mental and social functions and skills.

Quality toys and playthings are lacking for our children in general, so in order to be able to provide them for our children outside of the Mamaclub hours, especially on weekends or holidays, we set up a Toy Library which was open twice a week. It was run by a trained worker from the organisation who played the games with the children and parents and then the children could borrow them to take home.

Enrolment in non-segregated kindergartens

The enrolment in non-segregated kindergartens is a follow-up to the mamaclub project activity. Our children come to MS already prepared and after the first year of the organization's work in the locality, the kindergartens have noticed the difference of our prepared children. The actual process of preparing children and parents for enrolment involves preparing documents, reminding them of the enrolment date, accompanying them to the kindergarten or even assisting them during enrolment.

Enrolment in non-segregated primary schools

Enrolment in non-segregated schools is the most important project activity and the aim of the whole project and builds on the previous activity, i.e. staying in a non-segregated kindergarten.

In any contact with the child and his/her parents, the necessity of enrolling in non-segregated schools is emphasized. Throughout the year, at every Your Story activity, the importance of a traditional, non-segregated primary school, its advantages, is recalled, and conversely, the limitations of segregated schools and the impact on the child's whole life are discussed with parents.

Parents are reminded of enrollment dates, assistance with document preparation, and accompaniment and assistance with enrollment.

Events.

Project evaluation:

The project was implemented according to the standard project plan, i.e. successfully. It can be stated that the preparation of children in the Mamaclub is a very important part of the positive relations with kindergartens and also with the positive perception of the children despite the fact that they come from the socially excluded locality of Palackého or Dělnická.

In the course of the project we changed the snack preparation. After realizing that among the project children there are some who do not receive any food for several days, the workers of the organization started to prepare soups that are served before the children go home.