Page 83 - Guiding-at-risk-youth-through-learning-to-work-Lessons-from-across-Europe

Guiding at-risk youth through learning to work
Lessons from across Europe

Through specialised, temporary support (in Luxembourg from six to twelve
weeks and in France up to a year), often in a non-school environment, young
people can be supported to boost their self-esteem and renew their interest in
learning. The aim of the classes is to fill the gaps in the students’ knowledge and
help them master the regular curriculum for their respective years, enabling them
to rejoin their year groups. The classes also aim to provide young people with
social support and the activities emphasise the need for socialisation, as well as
improving the pupil’s competences and skills. Importantly, the activities are
designed to take into consideration the specific situation of each individual, rather
than adopt a single approach.
As well as the close contact with parents, social workers and healthcare
professionals, there is close cooperation with the young person’s original school
to ensure their effective reintegration into the formal system. In France, ‘guardian
teachers’ are designated in the pupil’s original school to assist this.
Participation in relay classes in France is voluntary and must be agreed by
pupils and their families. The agreement is often formalised through a contract.
Parental involvement is also an important part of the measure and the
interventions aim to help parents and families to renew contact with the education
community and to build closer relationships between both parties.
The French experience has shown that relay classes provide a temporary
and adapted reception for pupils in lower secondary education who are at risk of
becoming marginalised in the system. They have played an important role in the
fight against early school leaving, in particular through their variety and flexibility.
A solution is typically found for nine out of ten participants. The experience from
these classes has contributed to the creation of other complementary measures,
including relay workshops (Ateliers Relais) and, more recently, relay modules
(Modules Relais).

5.2.3. Holistic interventions for complex support needs
Holistic interventions, offering disengaged young people a second chance to
access education and training or to support their transition to employment, have
been found in a number of European countries. Holistic approaches to
reintegration aim to identify and address the full range of barriers and issues the
young person is facing. They aim to support their beneficiaries in terms of
developing self-confidence, learning key ‘life skills’, identifying their personal
goals and developing the motivation to pursue these. They are put in place to
help those in need of the most support. Target groups tend to be young people
experiencing multiple disadvantages; those who have left school early but who
have additional support needs alongside their low level of qualifications. These

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