HUBS4TEENS: EMPOWERING AT RISK CHILDREN THROUGH INCLUSIVE EDUCATION

Thanks to funding from the UniCredit Foundation, Step by Step partners from Slovakia (Škola dokoran – project leader), Hungary (Partners Hungary Foundation), Croatia (Open Academy Step by Step), Italy (Cubo Libro), Slovenia (Educational Research Institute, Step by Step Programme), and the Netherlands (International Child Development Initiatives, TOY for Inclusion initiative) have launched a three-year project titled “Empowering At-Risk Children Through Inclusive Education.”

The project aims to reduce early school leaving (including absenteeism, grade repetition, and discontinuation of further education) and to promote inclusive learning opportunities for children aged 11 to 15 who are at risk of school disengagement, with a particular focus on vulnerable girls.

Building on the success of the TOY for Inclusion programme (Play Hubs and Toy Libraries), which has reached over 20,000 children annually since 2011, the project adapts these community-based play spaces to meet the needs of adolescents through the establishment of Youth Hubs. In collaboration with schools, these hubs will become safe and inspiring environments that foster resilience, life skills, and a sense of belonging among young people.

Through activities such as school self-assessments of at-risk children, action plans, and dropout prevention programmes, the project connects formal and non-formal education by establishing community-based Youth Hubs. A modular toolkit covering topics such as social and emotional learning, mentoring, child well-being, and early marriage prevention will be implemented in 13 schools across five countries. In Croatia, the programme is being carried out in collaboration with Orehovica Primary School, Kuršanec Primary School, and Tomaša Goričanca Primary School in Mala Subotica.

Over the course of three years, the project will directly engage 1,800 children at risk of dropping out and 250 educators and professionals. Its goal is to create inclusive school communities where every child has the opportunity to achieve both academic and personal success.

Stay tuned for updates and results from this initiative that is shaping a fairer and more inclusive education across Europe.