Autonomous Non-profit Organization “Orphan Opportunity Center “Step Up”
"All Step Up": Remote Education for Children and Adolescents in Difficult Life Situations in the Regions of Russian Federation
CSS contribution, rubles
Total budget, rubles
Implementation period, months
Project idea
The "All Step Up" project aims to organize online lessons on school subjects for orphans and children from crisis families in various regions. Such children often struggle with grasping the subjects. Frequently, the guardians and parents lack the necessary funds for hiring tutors, and schools do not have extra resources to cater to the educational needs of children in difficult life situations. The project aims to carry out sessions for 150 high school students (grades 9-11), preparing them primarily for the OGE and EGE examinations through online teaching.
To establish a trusting relationship between the teacher and the child, each session begins with a brief (10 minutes) discussion of topics that interest the adolescent, including the latest news about celebrities, music, and other relevant subjects.
The project program also includes 2 special workshops for educators. The experience gained at the training from colleagues from Moscow(Step Up) will allow teachers to successfully use it in the future in their regions.
Relevance
According to the Prosecutor General's Office of Russia's statistics, around 40% of orphanage graduates end up with a criminal record. The project is striving, to the best of its ability, to rectify this situation by providing children from orphanages and those in difficult life situations with the skills and knowledge necessary for independent living.
After all, the more educated a person is, the more likely they are to choose the right life path, to live a full life, to work, develop and improve. Education is still a social elevator for such teenagers to get out of their social group and make their lives prosperous.
Children from orphanages really need to learn to think independently, to make decisions, to interact notonlywith the staff of social institutions, but also to build relationships with others. To succeed in school, children in difficult life situations simply need personal attention, support for their successes, and a sense of purpose. If in the capital there are many times more opportunities to communicate and study face to face, in the regions distance learning is a great option to get such attention, help in studying and just human understanding.
The project will be immensely beneficial for representatives of regional NGOs, equipping them with the knowledge to organize face-to-face activities in their own regions.
Social effect
Boosting the number of orphaned children becoming successful adults, through timely assistance in mastering the school curriculum.
KPI
KPI
Project Results
Based on the year-end results, we can confidently affirm that the project is capable of yielding tangible benefits and meaningful outcomes. The Center's educators provide children, teenagers, and young adults in difficult life situations with the necessary assistance in obtaining supplementary education and offer emotional support. Children and teenagers began to feel much more confident, navigate the school program more easily, and experience less anxiety about upcoming academic tests.
Educators improved their professional competencies by participating in two pedagogical seminars for teachers and staff of institutions. The seminars allowed the new staff members to grasp the full spectrum of the project, providing them with a surge in motivation and a deeper understanding of the importance and value of the education embodied by "Step Up".
Project progress after CSS funding
As part of the distance learning program, the "Step Up" Center will carry on with lessons in at least 11 regions during the 2024-2025 academic year.
The collaboration with 8 children's institutions will continue. Additionally, training will be organized for children and teenagers from foster and crisis families, care home graduates, and young people dealing with challenging life situations.
