Lifelong Learning Programme

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Success Stories

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TITLE OF THE SUCCESS STORY
Getting up and going on
COUNTRY WHERE IT TOOK PLACE
Romania
AUTHOR OF THE SUCCESS STORY
Teacher
SCHOOL TYPOLOGY
High Secondary School
THEMATIC AREA
Identification of students’ at risk, Students with learning difficulties
DESCRIPTION OF THE SUCCESS STORY
M., at present a young woman of 20, attended the courses of "Alexandru cel Bun" High School starting from the IXth class, together with her twin sister, G.
M. was a shy student, with poor communication and socialising skills, as well as learning difficulties. In the classroom she did not have friends, and she was always in conflict with her sister. The two twins were noticed by the school educationalist and guided to counseling. M. was the one who accepted to go to the counseling sessions. The interaction between the school psychologist and her was extremely difficult. In time, disturbing truths came out to light: the girls had been sexually abused by their step father, from the age of eight. They come from a family with problems: a mother that, separated with her first husband tried to put the pieces back together by involving in many transcient relationships. Following such relationships she gave birth to two other children. All of them live in a small village near Botoşani, the main income of the family being the children’s allowances and a tuition gained by mother as an accompanying person for the youngest child, diagnosed with spastic, first degree of disability. The educational atmosphere and climate in the family could be characterized by frequent and intense conflicts, the mother’s attitude toward her children being when by turns authoritative, broader or disregarding.
There were intense discussions with the mother’s girls to improve communication with her own children; also, she was recommended to take M. to a psychiatrist to help her deal with her katzenjammer. Despite her mother’s counteraction, M. was admitted, on several occasions, in the hospital for attempts at suicide.
At school, the student was included in a guidance and counselling program, and for the recovery of the learning difficulties, teachers designed individualized support programs. Thus school was turned from a hostile environment into a welcoming family. In the 3rd year of high school, M. wanted to abandon school , because of financial problems and health. She was assisted to get a social scholarship and encouraged to complete her studies.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Despite financial and communication obstacles with her own family, M. succeeded in completing high school studies, achieving 3rd qualification level in the field of light industry. Also, she participated in activities of a foundation that provides support for adults with mental health problems, for reintegration in the community. She attended a retraining course as a massaging technician and now is in search of a job.

20 December 2014

Final Partners’ meeting

The fourth partners’ meeting took place in Florence (IT) on 15 December 2014. The meeting had the objective to check the activities carried out since the third meeting of the project and share and assess the in progress results. A special focus has been dedicated to the presentation of the strategies to solve the case scenarios.