La Coma celebrates the end of the school year in an emotional graduation of 56 children with their families and teachers in Paterna

The Kumpania and Impulsa Kumpania programs, managed by Jovesólides in La Coma, improve school performance and strengthen community ties

The objective is to prevent school dropout and encourage continuity in post-compulsory education, improving opportunities for personal development among disadvantaged groups in the neighborhood

The rate of early school failure among young Roma is 63%, compared to 4% on average for the Spanish population

KUMPANIA | Learn in this ‘Kumpa-newsletter’ how are the programs against school dropout Kumpania and Impulsa Kumpania, managed by Jovesólides in La Coma (Paterna).

The Kumpania and Impulsa Kumpania programs, which provide specialized and individualized attention to 56 girls and boys between three and 18 years of age from 32 families of gypsy origin in the neighborhood of La Coma, in Paterna, closes its academic year 2023-2024 with an emotional graduation ceremony held in the auditorium of the old market.

During the ceremony, a symbolic presentation of diplomas was made to all the students who promoted to the next year and graduated from ESO. In addition, they have starred in various choreographies and enjoyed a community snack with their families and teachers, highlighting the essence and values of diversity and intercultural union. The graduation not only represents an achievement for the young people, but also celebrates the positive impact of the program on their lives and the educational community as a whole.

Lourdes Mirón and Boutaina El Hadri, president and manager respectively of Jovesólides, the entity that manages the Kumpania and Impulsa Kumpania programs in La Coma de Paterna, congratulated the students and expressed their gratitude and recognition for the efforts of the students and their families, highlighting how these activities contribute to strengthen the solidarity relationship as well as normalize intercultural coexistence.

The teaching team, for their part, had some words of encouragement and good wishes for the infant and primary students in the next course. They also shared experiences and anecdotes about the progress of their groups, recounted the most significant moments with their families and reflected on the challenges and achievements throughout the course.

Socio-educational reinforcement program against school dropout rates

Kumpania and Impulsa Kumpania attend to the extracurricular and socio-educational reinforcement needs of 56 gypsy girls and boys in the neighborhood from 1st grade of kindergarten to 4th grade of ESO. Its main objective is to combat school dropout and provide a network of support and resources to successfully complete all stages of compulsory education, even motivating them to continue their education after graduation.

Both programs are of vital importance for the integral development of the neighborhood’s children and youth. According to the study “Educational situation of the gypsy student body in Spain”, published by the Fundación Secretariado Gitano in 2023, 40% of Roma students drop out of school at the age of 16. The school failure rate among young people who do not graduate from ESO is 62.8%, compared to 4% of the general population. Kumpania and Impulsa Kumpania pursue the prevention of early dropout, providing academic and socioemotional support to encourage continuity and educational success. They also help them cultivate social-emotional skills essential to their long-term success.

Kumpania e Impulsa Kumpania meet the extracurricular and socio-educational reinforcement needs of 56 gypsy children in the neighborhood from the first year of kindergarten to the fourth year of ESO. Its main objective is to combat school dropout and provide a network of support and resources to successfully complete all stages of compulsory education, even motivating them to continue their education once they have graduated.

Kumpania and Impulsa Kumpania are two complementary projects funded by Fondo Social Europeo y la Vicepresidencia y Conselleria de Servicios Sociales, Igualdad y Vivienda . You can follow all the news on social networks through the hashtags #Kumpania and #IKumpania.