The refugee community in Łomża is not very big, there are only about 300 people (mostly from Chechnya). However, considering the town’s population, which amounts to 60 thousand, they are easily noticeable and recognisable. Children and youth are particularly vulnerable to discrimination. There exists a threatening gap between young refugees and their local peers, which is the result of lower social and economic status of the refugee families. Not knowing the language and not being familiar with laws and regulations, the families have limited access to jobs, flats and houses, to healthcare provision.
The aim of the project was to minimize the risk of discrimination of young refugees in schools through better integration and increased self-confidence and self-esteem. The project also aimed to reduce the risk of social pathologies among young refugees, to minimize domestic violence and behavioural and educational problems. The project was designed to increase social activities of young inhabitants in Łomża and to begin the discussion on how to support the education of children and youth of foreign background.
The main achievement of the project is better integration of refugee children and youth in the local schools, including improved achievements of 84 refugee learners, thanks to 726 hours of compensatory classes. Classes on Chechen culture for 73 people amounted to156 hours. 88 animation meetings for over 60 people and 5 cultural events attended by 1,300 participants were organized. A Culture Assistant provided support to 7 schools, 40 families and about 80 children. Over 50 volunteers were trained and 10 tutor pairs worked together. Children and youth took part in two camps and adults participated in workshops on strengthening parental competences.
The project beneficiaries were refugee children and youth and their parents living in Łomża.
The project partners were: Foreigners’ Assistance Centre in Warsaw (organized workshops for parents in Łomża); Primary School nr 5 in Łomża (helped in organizing and providing support of the Culture Assistant to refugee children); Municipal Culture Centre (provided support to organizing and promoting cultural events and offered their premises); Social Assistance Centre (cooperated in providing assistance and support to refugee families).