Catalogue of Local Inclusive Public Policies

Public policies
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Acompañar Program

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San Justo - Argentina

Region
Latin America and the Caribbean
Range of Demographic Size
20,000 to 49,999 inhabitants (small)

4.2 By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education.

4.1 By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education which must be free, equitable and of quality and leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes.

4.3 By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university.

4.5 By 2030, eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and children in vulnerable situations.

4.6 By 2030, ensure that all youth and at least a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy.

4.7 By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development, among other means.

4.b By 2020, substantially expand globally the number of scholarships available to developing countries, in particular least developed countries, small island developing States and African countries, for enrolment in higher education, including vocational training and information and communications technology, technical, engineering and scientific programmes, in developed countries and other developing countries.

A - Full integration of population dynamics into sustainable development with equality and respect for human rights.

B - Rights, needs, responsibilities and requirements of girls, boys, adolescents and youth

C - Ageing, social protection and socioeconomic challenges

Summary

The Acompañar Program is a comprehensive and permanent educational support program. Presented as a municipal public policy for human development with social inclusion, it is intended to improve personal development from early childhood to adulthood. The municipal areas of Social Development, Education, Production, Sports and Culture are involved.

Its purpose is to contribute to the comprehensive development of the individual to participate in different areas of life, favoring, enriching and strengthening self-confidence and confidence in their own possibilities, to open doors to equal opportunities.

Implementation Date:

Start: 07 / 31 / 2017

End: End: Currently in force

Education - Education in Human Rights Education - Formal education Local economic development - Education / Labor Training
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The problems covered by the program are related to the structural development difficulties at country level that cause the exclusion of certain sectors of society. In this sense, the city’s traditionally ignored sectors face major difficulties when completing their educational journeys, which creates great obstacles for their comprehensive development at personal level, and their insertion in the socio-educational and productive structure of the community. This exclusion generates, in turn, few social support networks, and replicates a model repeated throughout the generations. It is worth mentioning that most of the participants in the program live in the city's eastern neighborhoods, which is the most socially vulnerable area. It lacks most necessary social infrastructures, and this has been emphasized by the existence of a physical barrier (the tracks of the Belgrano railway F line) that separates it from the rest of the city. The highest number of households with unmet basic needs is concentrated in this area. Although there is a series of reasons of structural nature that exceed the exclusively local competence, the consequences of such problems are shown every day in the territory, that is why, considering the reconfiguration of the local government’s role, the municipal government must provide a solution.
The purpose is to contribute to the comprehensive development of the individual by preventing and reducing exposure of the inhabitants of San Justo to social exclusion and vulnerability situations. This way, education is provided in the context of socio-educational projects to build bridges between the educational paths and personal development of the subjects, contributing to social inclusion and equality. Through the socio-educational program of permanent support, the municipal government intends to generate opportunities for comprehensive development focused on equality, guaranteeing inclusive access to formal and informal education. This is an extensive program (its recipients’ ages range from early childhood to adulthood) that meets particular characteristics and problems of each sector of the population. Thus, we can conclude that, depending on the sector of focus, Acompañar has different specific purposes related to the realities of each territory. In turn, and in general, it pursues the generation of comprehensive relations through educational, cultural and sport support, established not only between the local government and the beneficiaries, but also with the community actors interacting in this context. Depending on the sector of focus, the Acompañar program has also different specific purposes related to the realities of each territory: ● To contribute to the comprehensive development of the individual, by preventing and reducing exposure of the inhabitants of San Justo to situations of social exclusion and vulnerability. ● To build bridges between the educational paths and personal development of the subjects, contributing to social inclusion and equality. ● To generate comprehensive development opportunities focused on equality, guaranteeing inclusive access to formal and informal education. ● To generate comprehensive relations through educational, cultural and sport support, established not only between the local government and the beneficiaries, but also with the community actors interacting in this context.
The program is a comprehensive device that involves in its implementation most of the local administration areas: - Education area. - Environmental area. - Production area. - Social Development area. - Undersecretary of Culture and Sports. This is a public policy that has managed to consolidate interdisciplinary work, making it possible to cover various problems in a comprehensive and coordinated manner.
The Acompañar Program brings together the work of different social organizations, besides the San Justo Municipality areas: • Municipal Educational System (Early Education; EMBA); • Municipal Interdisciplinary Service (SIM); • Neighborhood projects; • Back to school program; • Storytelling by grandparents; • Active and healthy aging project; • Nutrition education; • Scholarship project; • Young athletes; • Prevention of addictions; • Cultural Group; • Entrepreneurs Club; • Links (Professional Training Program).
Ordinance No. 3034/2018 Honorable Municipal Council of San Justo (Santa Fe) establishing the creation of the ACOMPAÑAR comprehensive support program Decree 018/18, dated 2/26/2018: http://www.sanjusto.gov.ar/ordenanzas?page=9 Ordinance No. 2794/2016: http://www.sanjusto.gov.ar/php/getpdf.php?pdf=4734 Estatuto de la Asociación Internacional de Ciudades Educadoras: http://www.edcities.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Estatuts-definitius-ES.pdf
The youth
Children and teenagers
The elderly
Society in general
Education and training
Acompañar Program has been established as part of the Municipal Education System through Ordinance 2794/2016 approved by the Honorable Municipal Council. This way, it has been consolidated as a state public policy, agreed upon and legitimated by the local legislative body. In this ordinance the municipal government is recognized as a “fundamental agent that guarantees the right to an education” and it commits to “support schools and non systematized organizations through teaching proposals that extend the school space and time, the creation of strategies to deepen relations between the school, family and community and the provision of material resources”. Furthermore, it recognizes as the program’s ultimate purpose to “contribute to a quality education with equality”, where the core purpose is “to strengthen the collaborative work connections […] to design joint actions to support personal development”. On the other hand, the actions of the program consider the rights approach, so the agreements made at international level, such as 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) become especially relevant. The SDGs are present in the strategic planning of San Justo, since they have been a relevant tool for decision making, starting a process of localization. In the case of SDG 4 –that intends to guarantee an equal, quality and inclusive education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all–, this is the benchmark and enforceability framework of citizens. The same happens with the Statute of the International Association of Educator Cities (Estatuto de la Asociación Internacional de Ciudades Educadoras), with which the San Justo municipality has been affiliated.
The Acompañar Program is innovative thanks to its comprehensive perspective on social exclusion. Its approach allows an comprehensive response to a problem that cannot be grasped in a sectorial manner. Through a strategy that contemplates both training and affective aspects, the municipal government –with the support of its citizens– intends to integrate people who have been excluded from the socio-educational structure, creating a social support network. This way, it is possible to state that the main innovation is the comprehensive nature of the public policy. Important components of citizen participation are incorporated (through the Barrio por Barrio program), volunteering (both of outstanding people and of regular neighbors) and affective support elements, beyond the traditional elements of training nature. In this sense, the notion of the small city is a positive influence on the formation of relations and support networks among the State, participants and volunteers. It is essential to note the close connection and collaboration that the program requires from the civil society. The articulation with volunteers provides a relevant and innovative component. Outstanding personalities and regular citizens are involved, and each one of them from their own position provides comprehensive support to those in need.
● Neighbor associations (outstanding personalities, volunteers groups and neighbors, elderly groups, cultural groups, entrepreneurs clubs). ● Companies (through their entrepreneurial social responsibility dimension, companies, businesses and institutions are invited to donate one hour per week from one employee so that they can volunteer for the program).
The policy includes citizen participation in its implementation because of the permanent coordination through the “Barrio por Barrio” (Neighborhood by neighborhood) mechanism. It has been designed and implemented since the start of the current administration to contribute to the definition of a profile and identity of each neighborhood, as well as their needs and strengths. The territorial support of this mechanism is articulated around neighbor associations, whose organization and formation are strongly encouraged by the local government. Also, due to its own characteristics, the Acompañar Program incorporates in its implementation a number of city institutions such as schools, cultural centers, community centers and a lot of organized volunteers that participate actively.
Continuity, understood as its sustainability degree, is guaranteed by the approval of the program through a municipal ordinance approved by the local legislative body. This implies a general agreement regarding its importance and relevance that allows seeing the continuity of the program beyond the current administration. In turn, participation of the volunteers contributes to guarantee sustainability, because it involves extra-state actors in the execution of the program and it involves them in public action. Something similar happens with neighbor associations, because their participation in the design and implementation of the program empowers actors, driving continuity of actions. On the other hand, the continuity is expected through disclosure of good experiences of program participants that will show advantages and promote its replicability over time. Acompañar is synchronized with the core work of the municipal government, published and taken over from the beginning of the current administration and included in its 2016-2019 administration plan. Also, the program has been recognized by the main local leaders as a good tool of the municipal government, and its operation has been legitimated by all the local political forces, as evidenced by its approval through the ordinance of the Municipal Council.
The evaluation is implemented in a permanent and continuous manner throughout the program´s development. To this effect, the following phases have been planned, corresponding to the evaluation process itself: 1. Creation of an evaluating team. 2. Rebuilding of coordinates of the program to be assessed. 3. Identification of actors or people involved. 4. Selection and description of the focal problem. 5. Questions definition and goal setting. 6. Operationalization of questions to go forward with the inquiry. 7. Data survey. 8. Data analysis. 9. Report preparation. 10. Feedback. Moreover, action timing sheets were generated to establish goals and milestones for the implementation of objectives that are clearly defined. For example, in the case of high school students, monitoring is carried out through the Municipal Scholarship Program, specially of students of 1st and 2nd year. To this effect, they are requested a copy of the report card and their academic status is corroborated. Students who do not pass subjects are incorporated to the program with prior authorization from their legal guardians.
Local goverment
Until mid-2018, the following number of program participants has been registered: 71 volunteers; 42 references; 148 children; 30 teenagers; 20 elderly people.
Public policy is duly transmitted through the communication channels of the municipal government which, besides having its own website, has social media profiles in Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Moreover, the different actions of the program are usually covered by the local media, which broadcasts the existence of the program and its main benefits. In these exchanges with the media, the various participants of the program intend to explain actions developed therein. On the other hand, Acompañar has been broadcast through the Asociación Internacional de Ciudades Educadoras website, and identified as a successful experience for social inclusion of San Justo’s inhabitants. And, in turn, it is expected for the public policy to be disclosed through the recent affiliation of the city to the Mercociudades network, hoping to achieve the positioning of the experience as a good practice in the local administration of the region.
Video on Acompañar Program
Presentation of the Acompañar Program: Audio-interview to Mg. Mónica Astore, Education coordinator of the Government of the city of San Justo

Instrumentos

4.2 By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education.

4.1 By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education which must be free, equitable and of quality and leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes.

4.3 By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university.

4.5 By 2030, eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and children in vulnerable situations.

4.6 By 2030, ensure that all youth and at least a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy.

4.7 By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development, among other means.

4.b By 2020, substantially expand globally the number of scholarships available to developing countries, in particular least developed countries, small island developing States and African countries, for enrolment in higher education, including vocational training and information and communications technology, technical, engineering and scientific programmes, in developed countries and other developing countries.

A - Full integration of population dynamics into sustainable development with equality and respect for human rights.
B - Rights, needs, responsibilities and requirements of girls, boys, adolescents and youth
C - Ageing, social protection and socioeconomic challenges

Location

Region
Latin America and the Caribbean
Range of Demographic Size
20,000 to 49,999 inhabitants (small)

Contact details

Other projects from #CiudadesInclusivas

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