The school dropout rate among young Roma (young people aged between 16 and 24 who do not complete compulsory secondary education) stands at around 63%, compared with 4% of the general population in Spain. This is an alarming situation that highlights the huge gap in opportunities for advancement among the Roma community.
As an alternative to address this situation, the Fundación Secretariado Gitano launched the Promociona programme in 2009, with funding from the European Social Fund. This is an initiative providing educational support and guidance aimed at Roma students and their families. Its main objective is to ensure that more young Roma complete Compulsory Secondary Education (ESO) and go on to further education.
Among its key initiatives are the Aulas Promociona, spaces for educational support and reinforcement, where Roma students and their families receive personalised attention through educational guidance. This programme is delivered in 53 towns across 13 autonomous communities and reaches more than 1,600 students and their families each academic year. Furthermore, it collaborates with over 500 schools across Spain. Thanks to this model, around 85% of pupils graduate from ESO and over 90% go on to post-compulsory education, demonstrating its positive impact on improving the educational pathways of young Roma people.
With this same focus, Fundación Telefónica and the ProFuturo technology innovation programme, promoted by Fundación Telefónica and Fundación “la Caixa”, have signed an agreement with Fundación Secretariado Gitano in which they have set themselves the challenge of providing extracurricular support and training in digital skills for pupils and their families, as well as training for teachers on the Promociona programme and other professionals at the organisation.
The collaboration thus continues the strategic partnership that Fundación Telefónica and Fundación Secretariado Gitano have been developing, aimed at promoting educational success, reducing the digital divide and fostering labour market inclusion for young Roma people in Spain, which has taken the form of workshops and training sessions focused on digital literacy, the safe use of technology and digital rights, with the aim of preventing the digital divide from exacerbating the labour market and institutional exclusion of this community.
This new agreement will strengthen the involvement of Telefónica Volunteers in school support activities, as well as providing teachers with access to online courses from the ProFuturo programme on Artificial Intelligence, Neurodidactics, Gamification and Educational Innovation.
