Examining the extent to which a Volunteering Programme offered by a local charity improves the education and lives of Romanian Students in the local community

Sulochini Pather, Vanessa Sawyer

    Research output: Book/ReportOther report

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    Abstract

    With an increase in the number of migrants from Romania, the number of Romanian students has increased in schools in the UK. There is limited support in communities for these young people as they struggle to fit in to education in the communities they settle in. This article focuses on a study which explores the impact of a volunteering programme offered by CATCH (Community Action To Create Hope), a local registered charity located in Harehills which is a diverse, multi-cultural inner-city area of east Leeds, West Yorkshire. The study is a case study of 6 students, both male and female from 16 to 19 years of age from Romania. Interviews were conducted with the Head of CATCH, the 6 students and their parents and Heads and teachers of the 3 educational institutions they attended. Several challenges were highlighted around attendance, cultural perceptions around gender role and subject areas, and behaviour. Schools offer support in various forms which relate to transportation, learning spaces for new arrivals who are new to English and support from a Romanian member of staff who connects with parents in the local community. Despite the challenges, Romanian students have high aspirations which move away from the traditional roles of their community. CATCH is supporting students to acquire real life skills through volunteering work, which has positively impacted the students’ career choices. Through the volunteering programme, students have acquired a greater sense of responsibility, confidence, resilience, and self-regulation for greater opportunities in the future. Based on the findings of this study, the key recommendation is around the need for schools and educational settings to build trusting relationships and pastoral systems to support education for students from Romania.
    Original languageEnglish
    Place of PublicationLeeds
    PublisherLeeds Trinity University
    Number of pages18
    Publication statusPublished - 9 Feb 2023

    Keywords

    • Romanian
    • Eastern European
    • Migrant
    • Education

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