Education and Training
Education is obviously one of the key areas of child development that will help to provide opportunities for employment in adulthood. We don't run our own school, preferring to partner with already established schools by supporting children to attend them. We do this in partnership with the parents, sharing the responsibility for their children's education with them. We endeavour to support children through their primary and secondary education.
Although we don't run our own school, we do run two specialist classes. We deliberately delay children going to school in order to give their parents or carers the opportunity to do it themselves. However, once a child is a couple of years late and his parents haven't sent him, it becomes obvious they don't have the means. Our School Preparation Class condenses the first two to three years' education into one, thus enabling children to 'catch up' educationally with their peers. After their year in this class we support the children to attend one of the local schools we partner with.
When a child comes to the
project from the streets, he brings with him behavioural characteristics that he
has learnt in that environment. These frequently prevent him from immediately
returning to school, and a period of rehabilitation is required. Our School
Transition Class provides an environment that enables the child to slowly
readjust to a more structured way of life, for example: relating to adults in
authority; lengthening his concentration period; and adjusting to being within
four walls.
Through our Creativity Centre we offer older children the
opportunity to try out a variety of different practical skills to see what they
are naturally good at, and then offer training so they can develop their ability
into a skill that will enable them to earn an income.
